Speech Disorders - Stammering & Stuttering

Very often people use the terms ‘stammering’ and ‘stuttering’ interchangeably. They are both certainly speech disorders and to a listener sound similar. They are however different symptomatically and in expression.

Stuttering: It occurs when a person has difficulty in progressing with the pronunciation of a word, as he/she is stuck with the first sound in the word. For example, if a person wants to say ‘kite’ and ends up saying ‘k’ ‘k’ ‘k’ ‘k’ over and over again, this is stuttering. When the first part is conquered the rest of the word or sentence is completed without any difficulty. Stuttering is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetition and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases. There are pauses and blocks in the process.

Stammering: A person gets stuck in the first syllable of every second, third or fourth word. Sometimes we find the individual struggling to get out the entire word – they are exhausted at the end of the effort. Stammering is a more intense condition when compared to stuttering - repetition and blocks are more pronounced and more frequent in the same sentence.

A person may have stuttering issue or a stammering one or both.

Dr. Jaishri Ramakrishnan is a consultant psychologist with over three decades of experience. She has conducted several seminars, workshops and training programmes on parenting, handling children with special needs, and stress management.

Causes of Speech Disorders

Speech is a neurodevelopmental function. It involves language, motor and emotional networks. There are several neural circuits which an infant develops. These neural circuits must interact in precise, rapid ways for speech development. There is a the genetic predisposition to the condition and formation of circuits.

Developmental