Stammering
Whether you hear stammering, stuttering or dysfluency - it all means the same thing. Dysfluency is the technical term and stuttering is the American term. For consistency, the term 'stammering' will be used on this website. The profile of stammering was rapidly and respectfully raised in 2010 with the release of the film 'The King's Speech.'
Stammering typically presents as repeating sounds and/or words in a struggle to get a verbal message out (e.g. "w-w-what time is it? or what-what-what time is it?"). It can also involve prolonging sounds (as if they are being stretched e.g. "wwwwwwwhat time is it?") or blocking on sounds (as if the sound or word has seized up) and can even lead to things like eye blinking and head movements for example - as the person who stammers strives to push their words out. A person who stammers will often find it very challenging to look at who they are talking to.
However, this is only one third of the issue. The other two thirds are the often negative thoughts and feelings that tend to accompany the speech difficulty. Negative thoughts such as saying to yourself "I'm gonna get stuck and it'll all go wrong" or imagining something like a telephone call going wrong and negative feelings like fear, embarrassment, anxiety, frustration and a racing heart rate can all make a stammer more severe. They can also lead to avoidance - of certain words (e.g. long ones or ones starting with specific sounds) and/or certain situations (e.g. using the telephone, going out with friends, or looking at the person you are talking to).
Some people avoid words and situations so often and so well that to anyone else they wouldn't present as having a stammer at all, primarily because they are choosing to only experience very safe vocabulary and situations - or perhaps 'acting' like someone else. This is called a covert stammer - a stammer that is hidden the vast majority of the time.
Many children experience a short amount of stammering around the age of 2-3 years as their words and sentences rapidly develop. However, it is paramount to seek help as soon after onset as possible. This is because many school-aged children persist with a stammer, so early intervention gives a child the very best chance of recovery. If a child has stammered for more than 3 years or they continue to stammer beyond the age of 6years, it is much more likely that they will become one of the 1% of the adult population who stammers. Stammering affects more males than females - typically in a ratio of 4:1.
Although there is no 'cure' for stammering, there are a great many things you can do to improve it and improve how you deal with it. Speech techniques are certainly one option and for the other two thirds (the thoughts and feelings) NLP can greatly assist with this - e.g. for reducing negative thoughts and feelings and boosting feelings like confidence, calm and relaxation. Have a look at the NLP page to find out more.
Stammering typically presents as repeating sounds and/or words in a struggle to get a verbal message out (e.g. "w-w-what time is it? or what-what-what time is it?"). It can also involve prolonging sounds (as if they are being stretched e.g. "wwwwwwwhat time is it?") or blocking on sounds (as if the sound or word has seized up) and can even lead to things like eye blinking and head movements for example - as the person who stammers strives to push their words out. A person who stammers will often find it very challenging to look at who they are talking to.
However, this is only one third of the issue. The other two thirds are the often negative thoughts and feelings that tend to accompany the speech difficulty. Negative thoughts such as saying to yourself "I'm gonna get stuck and it'll all go wrong" or imagining something like a telephone call going wrong and negative feelings like fear, embarrassment, anxiety, frustration and a racing heart rate can all make a stammer more severe. They can also lead to avoidance - of certain words (e.g. long ones or ones starting with specific sounds) and/or certain situations (e.g. using the telephone, going out with friends, or looking at the person you are talking to).
Some people avoid words and situations so often and so well that to anyone else they wouldn't present as having a stammer at all, primarily because they are choosing to only experience very safe vocabulary and situations - or perhaps 'acting' like someone else. This is called a covert stammer - a stammer that is hidden the vast majority of the time.
Many children experience a short amount of stammering around the age of 2-3 years as their words and sentences rapidly develop. However, it is paramount to seek help as soon after onset as possible. This is because many school-aged children persist with a stammer, so early intervention gives a child the very best chance of recovery. If a child has stammered for more than 3 years or they continue to stammer beyond the age of 6years, it is much more likely that they will become one of the 1% of the adult population who stammers. Stammering affects more males than females - typically in a ratio of 4:1.
Although there is no 'cure' for stammering, there are a great many things you can do to improve it and improve how you deal with it. Speech techniques are certainly one option and for the other two thirds (the thoughts and feelings) NLP can greatly assist with this - e.g. for reducing negative thoughts and feelings and boosting feelings like confidence, calm and relaxation. Have a look at the NLP page to find out more.
