Speech and Language Therapist Beyza Erkaya Güler stated that stuttering is more common in men in a statement he made due to October 22 World Stuttering Day.
Speech and Language Therapist Beyza Erkaya Güler from Sivas Numune Hospital made statements due to October 22 World Stuttering Day. Pointing out that stuttering is a fluent speech disorder characterized by involuntary disruption of speech, Beyza Güler said, “It is defined as a speech disorder that includes features such as repetitions, prolongations and blocks and thus disrupts the flow of speech. Approximately 5 percent of people may show characteristics similar to stuttering at some point in their lives. Stuttering can usually start between the ages of 2 and 5.”
It is more common in boys
Stating that the frequency of stuttering may differ according to gender, Beyza Erkaya Güler said, “The prevalence and frequency of stuttering is thought to be related to the gender variable. In girls, stuttering is seen less than boys at a ratio of 1:6 to 1:3. This ratio changes with increasing age and recovery without intervention is more common in girls than in boys. It is also thought that individuals with stuttering in a family member have a higher rate of stuttering than individuals without stuttering in the family. Stuttering is not caused by fear or imitating a person who stutters, as it is popularly known. Although the cause of stuttering is not known for certain, it is thought to occur when genetic, neurophysiological, environmental and temperament factors come together. In addition, although stuttering is not an intelligence problem, individuals who stutter may have normal or above normal intelligence.”
Emphasizing that stuttering is classified under two headings, Beyza Erkaya Güler said, “Stuttering is classified under two headings: acquired stuttering and developmental stuttering. Neurogenic stuttering is usually seen in adulthood due to causes such as cerebrovascular events, direct-indirect head traumas, ischemic attacks, traumatic brain injury, while psychogenic stuttering usually occurs in adults as a result of excessive stress and anxiety as a result of psychological trauma. Developmental stuttering is the most common subclass of stuttering and usually begins in preschool years and may continue until older ages. Although the cause of developmental stuttering is not clearly known, it is thought to be affected by motor, linguistic, neurological and environmental factors. Individuals with stuttering may exhibit a number of secondary behaviors such as blinking, nodding, and avoiding speaking, as well as disfluencies observed in the act of speaking. However, decreased verbal output, avoidance of words, grammatical restrictions, decreased quality of life and bullying in the educational system are considered as examples of different areas that negatively affect stuttering.”
The importance of early intervention
Speech and Language Therapist Beyza Erkaya Güler, who emphasized the importance of early intervention in stuttering, continued her words as follows; “In stuttering that starts in early childhood, the severity value can change within months or weeks. It has been reported that stuttering disappears spontaneously in almost 80 percent of children with early onset and stuttering. In stuttering, the types and frequency of speech disorders, related motor behaviors, speech avoidance behaviors, speech rate and negative emotional reactions should be evaluated. The assessment should also include observation of secondary behaviors and stuttering. Video recordings, which are taken to provide a sample of speech, are also important in monitoring progress during therapy as well as evaluation. In addition, the evaluation processes of preschoolers, school-age individuals and adolescent-adult individuals differ. Early intervention in stuttering is very important for speech to become more fluent, for the individual to communicate more comfortably and to reduce speech anxiety, if any. In stuttering that occurs in the developmental period, stuttering can disappear with early intervention, but as the time elapsed since stuttering increases, stuttering becomes chronic. For this reason, if children have stuttering-like disfluencies for more than 6 months and the severity of stuttering is increasing, they should be evaluated by a specialist speech and language therapist immediately.”
İHA Haber Kodu: 20241022AW313439