What exactly is stuttering (Latin: balbuties)?
Time and again, people come to our practice who are inhibited in their speech due to stuttering. Many have the problem of repeatedly getting stuck on words. Although they know what they want to say, they have difficulty speaking fluently. This leads to various speech problems. What does stuttering sound like? And what are the noticeable signs?
- Silent pressing of initial letters (S———alat)
- Dragging out of various sounds (I'm sooooo hungry)
- Repeating words and letters (H-H-Hello, alsalsals)
This emotionally stressful speech disorder is physical in nature and should not be considered a mental illness. It occurs regardless of social and cultural background, level of education and family interactions. It should be noted that stuttering is individual, as everyone stutters differently; some stutter very little, while others stutter more noticeably.
Furthermore, this speech disorder can occur alongside other symptoms that further disrupt and complicate communication. These symptoms include, for example, blinking, lip tremors, sweating or rapid breathing. These signs severely limit self-confidence and cause many people to feel anxious. This can lead to avoidance strategies and even introversion.
Why do people stutter?
The brain controls various actions that form a complex interaction. Many people suffer from constant stuttering when speaking, which can be attributed to various factors, be they psychological, neurological or genetic.
In recent years, genetic chromosome changes have been increasingly detected in people who stutter. Due to the fact that stuttering often runs in families, it is now assumed that there is a predisposition to stuttering. This means that stuttering can be inherited, but does not have to be. It is not possible to predict under what conditions stuttering will definitely be inherited or not.
When stutterers speak, there is increased activity in the right hemisphere of the brain. This is particularly noticeable when stutterers speak fluently. It is therefore assumed that people who stutter use an area of the right hemisphere of the brain to compensate for speech disfluencies. Since the corresponding area of the right hemisphere is not intended for speech in healthy speakers, the compensation mechanism in people who stutter is not sufficiently effective, so that speech disfluencies continue to occur.
Traumatic experiences, accidents, special events or speech development disorders are not the cause of stuttering. However, they can contribute to triggering and maintaining it.
Are there solutions to defeat brain fog?
It depends. It is very rare to be able to completely lose your stutter. The earlier you start therapy with us, the greater the chances of achieving smooth speech. Continuous training through therapy improves speech and helps to control stuttering. Our general goals for stuttering therapy at Logolo are primarily:
- to alleviate the stutterer's anxiety
- to practise fluent and smooth speech
- physical and emotional relief
- to teach less strenuous ways of speaking in everyday life
- to convey a feeling for speech and breathing rhythm
We offer our patients the best possible advice and support to minimise stuttering as much as possible, or in the best case, to eliminate it completely. Whether for adults or children, our speech therapists adapt individually to each person who stutters and thus take different approaches with each person.
Do you also stutter and does it bother you in everyday life? Then don't waste any time and visit us at one of our three practices in Lichtenberg, Pankow or Bernau near Berlin.
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