Stuttering vs. Stammering: What’s the Difference?

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Stuttering and stuttering are interchangeable terms for a speech disorder where an individual has difficulty forming words. It occurs more often in boys and can worsen in stressful situations. Severe cases may include physical movements. Speech therapy and support groups can help manage the condition.

Stuttering and stuttering are two terms used interchangeably to refer to the same speech disorder. Both refer to a problem where an individual has difficulty forming words in their entirety. He may lengthen some syllables, hesitate mid-word or repeat syllables before being able to continue speaking.
Another term for stuttering and stuttering is speech disfluency. It occurs more often in boys than in girls and may or may not continue into childhood and adulthood. The condition can worsen in stressful situations, including when speaking in public or having conversations with strangers. It is an involuntary reformation of words that can manifest itself in a number of patterns.

Some who stutter take a single syllable within the word and stretch or repeat it. Sometimes, entire words may be repeated before the individual can continue with the sentence. Other times, a sentence can be broken up by sounds or syllables that don’t belong to it. For some people, there may be a forced pause between words and syllables, which can cause frustration that further worsens the condition. Difficulty in conveying meaning and finishing sentences, and frustration in dealing with others who interrupt a stutterer’s interrupted speech, can damage an individual’s self-esteem.

Severe cases of stuttering and stuttering can include other physical movements that seem to go hand-in-hand with speech difficulties. When frustrated, both adults and children may develop facial body tics that accompany speech difficulties; this may be particularly visible in individuals whose speech is interrupted by pauses where there appears to be a physical inability to get the words out. Foot tapping or hand gesturing are common tics.

Many people who have been diagnosed with stuttering and stuttering problems can find ways around the problem. Singing or rhythmic dialogue can help an individual learn to regulate speech patterns; reciting poetry helped James Earl Jones come to terms with his stuttering, and many stutterers have no problem when they sing or read something with rhythm. Other types of speech therapy that help control stuttering and stuttering are support groups, which focus on controlled breathing, lip, tongue and mouth movements, and repetition of lessons. Working with others who simply make the stutterer feel comfortable can go a long way in improving an individual’s speech, and some people have found it comforting and therapeutic to talk to animals.




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