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Stuttering
Stuttering and fluency DAF software
Stuttering, also known as stammering in the United Kingdom, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is
disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, and involuntary silent
pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds. Verbal non-fluency is the accepted umbrella term
for such speech impediments. The term stuttering is most commonly associated with involuntary sound repetition, but it
also encompasses the abnormal hesitation or pausing before speech, referred to by stutterers as blocks, and the
prolongation of certain sounds, usually vowels. Much of what constitutes
stuttering cannot be noted by the listener;
this includes such things as sound and word fears, situational fears, anxiety, tension, self-pity, stress, shame, and a
feeling of "loss of control" during speech. The emotional state of the individual who stutters in response to the
stuttering often constitutes the most difficult aspect of the disorder. The term
stuttering, as popularly used, covers
a wide spectrum of severity: it may encompass individuals with barely perceptible impediments, for whom the disorder is
largely cosmetic, as well as others with extremely severe symptoms, for whom the problem can effectively prevent most
oral communication.
Stuttering is generally not a problem with the physical production of speech sounds or putting thoughts into
words. Despite popular perceptions to the contrary, stuttering does not affect and has no bearing on intelligence.
Apart from their speech impediment, people who stutter may well be 'normal' in the clinical sense of the term. Anxiety,
low confidence, nervousness, and stress therefore do not cause stuttering per se, although they are very often the result
of living with a highly stigmatized disability and, in turn, exacerbate the problem.
The disorder is also variable, which means that in certain situations, such as talking on the telephone, the
stuttering might be more severe or less, depending on the anxiety level connected with that activity. Although the exact
etiology of stuttering is unknown, both genetics and neurophysiology are thought to contribute. Although there are many
treatments and speech therapy techniques available that may help increase fluency in some stutterers, there is
essentially no "cure" for the disorder at present.
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