Why stutter

What Causes Stuttering? What Are the Signs of Stuttering? When to Get Help If your child is 5 years old and still stuttering, talk to your doctor or a speech-language therapist. Check with a speech therapist if your child: tries to avoid situations that require talking changes a word for fear of stuttering has facial or body movements along with the stuttering repeats whole words and phrases often and consistently repeats sounds and syllables more often has speech that sounds very strained Also talk to the therapist if: you notice increased facial tension or tightness in your child's speech muscles you notice vocal tension that causes rising pitch or loudness you have other concerns about your child's speech Most schools will offer testing and appropriate therapy if stuttering lasts for 6 months or more.

How Can Parents Help? Try these steps to help your child: Don't require your child to speak precisely or correctly at all times. Allow talking to be fun and enjoyable. Use family meals as a conversation time. Avoid distractions such as radio or TV. Avoid corrections or criticisms such as "slow down," "take your time," or "take a deep breath. Avoid having your child speak or read aloud when uncomfortable or when the stuttering increases. Instead, during these times encourage activities that do not require a lot of talking.

Don't interrupt your child or tell him or her to start over. Don't tell your child to think before speaking. Provide a calm atmosphere in the home. Try to slow down the pace of family life. Speak slowly and clearly when talking to your child or others in his or her presence.

Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. Bursitis of the Hip. Abnormal Uterine Bleeding. High Blood Pressure. Home Diseases and Conditions Stuttering. Table of Contents. What is stuttering? Symptoms of stuttering Typically, the first signs of stuttering appear when a child is months old. What causes stuttering? A combination of factors can also cause people to stutter, including: A family history of stuttering Intellectual disabilities Problems with speech motor control Brain injuries or other severe medical conditions Emotional and mental health problems.

How is stuttering diagnosed? Can stuttering be prevented or avoided? Treatment also involves teaching parents ways to support their child. You may be encouraged to: Provide a relaxed environment at home. Give your child many opportunities to speak. Listen when your child speaks. Wait for them to say what they want to say.

Provide opportunities for your child to practice speaking exercises, such as family dinners, car rides, and family time. Avoid certain situations you know will make the stuttering worse. Encourage conversation in less stressful situations to make your child relaxed.

Questions for your doctor What if my child never stops stuttering? How will that affect their adult life? Is there anything I can do at home to help my child? How often will we need to see a speech therapist? Is it true that singing can sometimes help a person overcome stuttering? Last Updated: February 2, This article was contributed by: familydoctor. Tags: child , pediatric. Astrocytes do big jobs that are essential for nerve activity : providing the nerves with fuel, for example, and collecting wastes.

Researchers created mice with a mutation in a gene that, in people, is linked to stuttering. On the other hand, Maguire has long doubted that mutations in such important genes, used in nearly all cells, could cause defects only in the corpus callosum, and only in speech. He also finds it difficult to compare mouse squeaks to human speech. Scientists are sure there are more stuttering genes to find. Drayna has retired, but Morgan and collaborators are initiating a large-scale study in the hopes of identifying additional genetic contributors in more than 10, people.

Maguire has been tackling stuttering from a very different angle: investigating the role of dopamine, a key signalling molecule in the brain. Dopamine can ramp up or down the activity of neurons, depending on the brain location and the nerve receptors it sticks to.

There are five different dopamine receptors named D1, D2, and so on that pick up the signal and respond.

During the s, Maguire and colleagues were among the first to use a certain kind of brain scan, positron emission tomography, on people who stutter. That extra dopamine seems to stifle the activity of some of the brain regions that Chang and others have linked to stuttering. Backing up the dopamine connection, other researchers reported in that people with a certain version of the D2 receptor gene, one that indirectly enhances dopamine activity, are more likely to stutter.

So Maguire wondered: could blocking dopamine be the answer? Conveniently, many antipsychotic drugs do just that. Over the years, Maguire has conducted small, successful clinical studies with these medications including risperidone , olanzapine and lurasidone. The corpus callosum — the orange arch beneath the folded cerebrum — facilitates communication between the hemispheres of the brain Credit: Science Photo Library.

None of those medications are approved for stuttering by the US Food and Drug Administration, and they can cause unpleasant side effects, such as weight gain, muscle stiffness and impaired movement. In a small study of 10 adult volunteers, Maguire, Yaruss and colleagues found that people who took ecopipam stuttered less than they did pre-treatment. Quality-of-life scores, related to feelings such as helplessness or acceptance of their stutter, also improved for some participants. Back in Michigan, Chang hopes that the stimulation of specific parts of the brain during speech could improve fluency.

The team uses electrodes on the scalp to gently stimulate a segment of the hearing area, aiming to strengthen connections between that spot and the one that manages speech movements. This causes a brief tickling sensation before fading, Chang says.

Because of the Covid pandemic, the team had to stop the study with 24 subjects out of a planned Dopamine, cellular waste disposal, neural connectivity — how do they fit together? She hopes that neuroimaging can unite the different ideas. As a first stab, she and collaborators compared the problem areas identified by her brain scans to maps of where various genes are active in the brain.