Stuttering (or stammering as it is called in the UK) is when a person’s speech is disfluent. They may repeat a syllable or word over and over (we call this repetition), get “stuck” on a syllable/word (we call this a block), or lengthen a sound before finishing the word (we call this prolongation). But why do children/adults do this? What causes a person to stutter?

Why Do Children Stutter?

A lot of toddlers/preschool children may experience stuttering. Often, this is simply because they are experiencing a big burst in the development of their language skills. They have words they want to use that their brain is having a hard time accessing or their motor skills can’t quite keep up. Some of these kids will “grow out of it” as their skills catch up with each other. They typically stutter for less than 6 months.

However, some will not. These are the kids who may have difficulties for the rest of their childhood and into adulthood. So the question is, why do these children stutter?

The truth is….researchers don’t really know what causes stuttering.

They do know that it’s multi-factorial. That means there are lots of factors influencing its prevalence. According to Smith and Weber (2017), the combination of factors includes genetics, language development, environment, brain structure, and brain function.

Here are some of the risk factors that may indicate that a child will continue to stutter:

• Family history of stuttering
• Male
• Presence of blocks/prolongations and not just repetitions
• Started stuttering at age 3.5 or older
• Presence of tension/anxiety when stuttering
• Presence of extra behaviors like eye blinking, head movements, etc.

Even though we don’t exactly what causes a person to stutter, we do know there are a lot of factors at play. The most important thing about the cause of stuttering is that it is no one’s fault!

Parents – you did nothing to cause it. It is not your fault and it’s not your child’s fault either.

Why Do Adults Stutter?

Most of the adults that you may hear stuttering (like Joe Biden for example) stutter because they have stuttered since they were a child. They may have gained better control of it and can ‘hide’ it more easily, but it may still slip out during times of stress, excitement, or sleepiness.

However, there is also acquired stuttering which is rare and can be the result of a brain injury or severe psychological trauma.

 Smith, A. & Weber, C. (2017). How stuttering develops: The multifactorial dynamic pathways theory. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60(9), 2483-2505.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

• ASHA (American Speech Hearing Association)
• National Stuttering Association
• International Stuttering Association

Check out this blog post on Dos and Don’ts for Stuttering Advocacy to learn how you can better communicate with and advocate for individuals who stutter!

Do you know someone who stutters? Do you? Did you have any beliefs on what you thought caused your stuttering? Let me know in the comments below!

-Chloe B | School SLP