There is no one simple answer to the reason why people stammer. It is suggested that there maybe genetic or environmental
or purely psychological factors at work but there is no definitive answer. There is often a stigma attached to a person with
a stammer and this can cause embarrassment and shyness.
Strangely people who stammer may find they are quite fluent if they sing, whisper or speak as part of a group.
Stammering usually begins in childhood usually between three and five and in around 90% of cases before the age of eight.
It is suggested that one in 20 children will have a stammer at some time point but 4% recover, with or without help, so that
only 1% of adults stammer.
It's has been established that it is four times more common in boys than in girls, and in any family with a person who
stammers there's an increased risk that other family members will have the same problem.
Symptoms
The severity of stammering may depend on the child's surroundings i.e. the pressure they feel to speak. The child may have
problems initiating speech, or flowing from one syllable to the next all stammers sound different. Some deal with the problem
by simply not speaking at all.
Treatment
It is important that stammering or stuttering is properly diagnosed by a speech therapist (your GP can refer you) who can
advise on what the problem is and how it can best be treated. There's is no cure as such for stammering but many therapies
can make a huge difference.
If you're worried about your child's speech, talk to your doctor. Or contact the BSA British Stammering Association at
www.stammering.org or call them on their
