Stuttering is a speech disorder. It causes a person to repeat sounds, syllables, or words. Some sounds may be long and speech may be interrupted.
The exact cause is not known. It may happen when:
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Stuttering is more common in males and in children who are 2 to 6 years of age. Family history also raises the chances of stuttering.
Problems may be:
The doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history. A physical exam will be done. A speech language therapist may also do an exam. This is often enough to make the diagnosis.
There is no cure. The goal of treatment is to manage symptoms. This can with therapy to:
There are no current guidelines to prevent stuttering.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
http://www.asha.org
The Stuttering Foundation
http://www.stutteringhelp.org
Canadian Stuttering Association
http://www.stutter.ca
University of Alberta—Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research
http://www.istar.ualberta.ca
Cruz C, Amorim H, Beca G, Nunes R. Neurogenic stuttering: a review of the literature. Rev Neurol. 2018;66(2):59-64.
Stuttering. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website. Available at: http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/stuttering. Accessed April 9, 2020.
Stuttering. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders website. Available at: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/stutter.aspx. Updated March 6, 2017. Accessed April 9, 2020.
Last reviewed February 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Rimas Lukas, MD Last Updated: 4/9/2020