1. What Is the Main Cause of Stuttering?
Stuttering is a speech disorder, which is also referred to as stammering or diffluent speech. Repeated words, sounds, or syllables, halting speech production, and uneven rate of speech are a few characteristics of Stuttering.
There are a few possible causes of stuttering, such as development during childhood, a severe emotional trauma causing psychogenic stuttering, and it can even be a hereditary trait passed down from a previous generation.
Researches are continuing to study the underlying causes of stuttering. There has been some evidence to indicated that abnormalities in speech motor control, such as timing, sensory and motor coordination, could be involved.
The last factor that plays a large role in stuttering is emotional distress. When speakers who do not stutter become nervous or feel pressured, they start experiencing speech dysfluency.
2. What Causes Stuttering All of a Sudden?
Sudden onset stuttering is either neurogenic (brain having trouble sending signals areas of the brain that control speaking) or psychogenic (emotional issues). Brain trauma, epilepsy, abusing drugs (particularly heroin), or depression can all be causes of sudden stuttering.
Severe accidents can cause sudden stuttering if parts of the brain are affected during the crash. Another cause of sudden stuttering could relate directly to emotional distress.
3. Why Do People Stutter?
Stuttering is a speech disorder that affects around three million Americans. Around 5 percent of children stutter at one point in their lives. Boys are two times more likely to stutter than girls. Most children tend to “grow out” of their stutter phase by the time they become adults. However, 1% of adults still tend to suffer from stuttering.
4. How Do You Treat Stuttering?
When stuttering simply does not go away, there are a few ways to help treat it.
Speech Therapy
Therapy can help reduce interruptions in speech and improve your self-esteem. Therapists focus on controlling the rate of speed at which you speak as well as concentrating on your breathing. This gives you a buffer where you are more conscious of the rate at which you speak. Candidates for speech therapy are those who:
- Stutter often and are emotionally distressed with their current state
- Have a family history of stuttering
- Have stuttered for 3 to 6 months
SpeechEasy
SpeechEasy is similar in appearance to a hearing aid. However, rather than amplifying sound, SpeechEasy alters the sounds that go through the device so that you hear your voice at a slight delay and at a different pitch. The purpose of the delay and pitch change is to recreate a natural phenomenon referred to as the “choral effect.” The choral effect occurs when your stutter is dramatically reduced or even eliminated when you speak or sing in unison with others. This choral effect has been well documented for decades and SpeechEasy utilizes in a small, wearable device that can be used in everyday life.
In order to learn more about the benefits of SpeechEasy and how it can transform your life as it has done for Ben, Mike, and Mark, please visit our website HERE. Give us a call for a consultation today at (252)-551-9042 or toll-free at (866)-551-9042.
