Adult stammering

What is stammering

Stammering is a difference in the way some people speak. Someone who stammers might do one or more of these things:

• Repeat sounds or words. For example, “My name is J-J-J-J-John”.
• Stretch or prolong sounds. For example, “Can you text mmmme?”.
• Have a ‘block’ where a sound gets stuck and little or no sound comes out. For example, “———Can I have…”. A block could last for a few seconds, or it could last longer.

These can happen at any point in a sentence. Everyone does these things occasionally. But for people who stammer they happen more often, sometimes nearly every time they speak.

If working hard to get sounds out, someone who stammers might also:

• Appear tense in their mouth, face or body
• Change their breathing pattern or feel out of breath
• Close their eyes or look away
• Use other parts of their body to help get a word out or release tension. For example, they might jerk their head, tap their fingers or stamp their feet
• Say “um” or “er” or repeat a word they’ve already said to help launch into words they find more difficult to say

Stammering isn’t always obvious. Lots of people use ways to hide their stammer, occasionally or in some cases all of the time. This can be because of the fear or negative reactions they believe might occur.

It is common for someone who stammers to be thinking ahead and change words to ones considered to be easier to say. Or use a technique to sound more fluent, such as pausing or using a soft start. Others might not be able to notice it, but the person who stammers may be working hard not to stammer.

What causes stammering?

Stammering usually starts in young children around the ages of 2 to 5. This is when they are going through rapid changes in their speech and language skills. We call this ‘developmental stammering’.
Some children start stammering at a later age. This may be because language gets more complex. For example, sentences get longer, and grammar gets more complicated.

We don’t know exactly why stammering starts to happen. But research shows there’s a slight difference in how the brain is wired in people who stammer.

We know stammering often has a genetic link, meaning it can run in families. Around 60% of people who stammer have a family member who stammers or used to stammer.

Nothing done as a parent or guardian causes the stammering. If a child starts stammering around the same time as traumatic events, it seems to be coincidental.

It also has nothing to do with learning or speaking more than one language.

Around the same number of boys and girls start to stammer. However, girls are more likely to stop stammering. As a result, in adulthood, more men than women stammer. Around 75% of adults who stammer are male.

We also know that stammering has nothing to do with where you are from. People of all ethnicities and from every country can stammer.

How can speech and language therapy help?

If someone stammers into adulthood they are likely to continue throughout their life. It won’t always stay the same. Stammering can change. There’ll be whole periods where people stammer less, and times when stammering happens more.

Some people find that they stammer less as they get older. For others, their stammer may stop almost completely and it may start again years later.

The focus of speech and language therapy is to promote confident and easy talking, whether or not someone stammers. Increased understanding and acceptance of stammering as well as reducing avoidance and hiding behaviour can help with this. People can overcome their fear of stammering. They can feel more confident about things and stammer less over time. A stammer will not go away completely.

Fluency techniques can have some benefit in some circumstances but they should be considered with caution as they can reinforce the notion that stammering should be controlled or hidden.

There’s a growing feeling of “Stammering Pride” in parts of the community. Some people are starting to push back against attempting to gain fluency. Instead, they want to improve understanding of stammering and how this is a difference but not a deficit.

For any queries, or to self-refer and arrange an appointment, please contact Jane Appleton, specialist speech and language therapist.

Appointments will generally take place in the Speech and Language Therapy Department either in Denton Park Health Centre, West Denton Way, Newcastle, NE5 2QW, or in the RVI hospital.

Appointments will last approximately 45 minutes. At the initial appointment we will decide together what to do next; this may mean a series of regular appointments, and then a review.

Please note: for children’s appointments, please contact: 0191 2823085 (answerphone available).

Further information

STAMMA is the largest UK charity and membership organisation representing people who stammer. It is a very good source of information on stammering: stamma.org/get-help-for-your-stammer

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) for help, advice and information about the NHS services. You can contact them on freephone 0800 032 02 02 or e-mail [email protected]

Useful websites

If you would like further information about health conditions and treatment options, you may wish to have a look at the NHS website at www.nhs.uk

If you would like to find accessibility information for our hospitals, please visit www.accessable.co.uk