Did you know that James Earl Jones, Bruce Willis Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill, and Carly Simon are among the many famous people who have had a stuttering problem?

An estimated 3 million Americans have a stuttering problem, and this speech disorder affects people of all ages, although most are children between the ages of 2 and 6.

What Causes Stuttering?

Many young children go through a stage between the ages of 2 and 5 when they stutter, repeating certain syllables, words or phrases, prolonging them, or stopping, making no sound for certain sounds and syllables. Stuttering is a form of dysfluency - an interruption in the flow of speech.  In many cases, this stuttering goes away on its own by age 5, as the child learns how to speak and how to coordinate the muscles that are used for talking.  In other cases, stuttering lasts longer. While there is no cure for stuttering, there are many effective treatments for it and ways that you can support your child until he or she overcomes trouble speaking.

Experts believe that a variety of factors contribute to stuttering, including:

• Genetics: About 60% of those who stutter have a close family member who stutters.
• Other speech and language problems or developmental delays.
• Differences in the brain's processing of language: People who stutter process language in different areas of the brain. And there's a problem with the way the brain's messages interact with the muscles and body parts needed for speaking.

When is Speech Therapy Needed?

The first signs of stuttering tend to appear when a child is about 18 to 24 months old and starting to put words together to form sentences.  A child may stutter for a few weeks or several months, and the stuttering may be sporadic. For most kids who begin stuttering before the age of 5, the stuttering eventually goes away without any need for intervention such as speech or language therapy.

However, if your child's stuttering is frequent, continues to get worse, and is accompanied by body or facial movements, it's a good idea for a speech-language therapist to evaluate your child if you notice the following:

• repetitions of whole words and phrases become excessive
• sound and syllable repetitions begin to happen more frequently
• there is an increase in the prolongations of words
• your child's speech starts to be effortful or strained
• you notice increased facial tension or tightness in the speech muscles
• you notice vocal tension resulting in rising pitch or loudness
• your child chooses to avoid situations where he or she would have to talk
• your child has facial or body movements along with the stuttering

Lynne Lane can assist both children and adults who suffer from a stuttering disorder.  She will evaluate speech and language abilities, and take a complete history of the disorder, including when it was first noticed and under what circumstances.  Contact Lynne Lane to arrange a private consultation.