INTRODUCTION

Stuttering is a disorder affecting the speech. But before we give a proper description and

definition for it, we should know that the different defects on the communication appear

as a result of an alteration in the components of the fluency of speech. These

components are the following:

1. Continuity, the speech is perceived in a continuous way even if, actually, it is not like

that. This is due to the use of the pauses that happen in certain linguistic moments,

which fulfil a valuable communicative purpose.

2. Speed, the rate of a person’s speech, bearing in mind the normal pauses, is about 3-4

syllables per second, which means around 100-150 words per minute.

3. Rhythm, it implies the order of sounds, according to the number of syllables and its

accentuation. The fluent speech also has to do with setting the tone, intensity and the

cadence of every syllable and word, so as there is a regular and harmonic distribution

within speech.

4. Smoothness, the fluent speech is meant to be easy, effortless and absent of muscular

tension on the vocal tract organs and the rest of the body.

So, when one or more of these components are altered, then, there is a disorder on the

fluency of speech.

And one of the most important fluency of speech disorder is stuttering, also called

blocking. Now that we know the components that stuttering alters we can provide a

description but we have to mention that, there have been many definitions of this speech
disorder throughout history, due to the different approaches, theories, manifestations of

this problem, symptoms, etc. But we will provide a simple and narrow definition of it.

Stuttering is a psychosomatic disorder affecting the speech by means of a disturbance in

the normal rhythm of the speech, but it also can manifest by means of repetition or

prolongations of words and sounds as we can see in these examples:

- Repeating sounds. For example: “c c c can I have a biscuit?”

- Repeating words. For example: “my my my name is John”

- Prolongations. For example: “sssssocks and shoes”

- Blocks. For example: “w... what is that?”

-When and why does it take place

There are two main theories about why this disorder appears, one of them regarding the

neurophysiology field, which states that stuttering is a physiological disorder provoked

by the nervous system, specifically, when the right and left sides of the brain does not

work together at the same time and it turns to affect an organ of the vocal tract or some

of them giving place to spasms, but if this “spasm” persists in time it is not a spasm but

a blocker.

The second theory, regarding the psychological and psycholinguistic field, has to do

with emotions, because momentary blocking has nothing to do with a wrong

“operation” of our brain but we have to take into account that mind and body work
together “[...] emotions are phenomena in which both physical and mental activity are

involved; any change in the nature or intensity of either will cause a corresponding

change in the other” [[QUOTATION FROM: Chapter 6: Interrelatedness and

Interdependency of Mind and Body Action]] but also the way we feel affects the way

we act and the other way round.

And relating it to stuttering we can say that the basis for this blocking can have its

nature in emotions or attitudes developed in early life

-Emotional consequences

If we asked a people suffering from stuttering, the great percentage will answer almost

the same way to the following question “What do you feel like when you stammer?”,

most of them will answer that they feel embarrassed, incapable and insecure because

they do not know in a certain way when they will be able to speak or not and this

situation obviously does not help at all to improve in their speech fluency

connect emotions with state of anxiety →

-Its relation with anxiety and other mental disorders: Focus on teenagers

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-Treatment and therapy

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Treatment of blocking: By creating comfortable situations we will face in ordinary life

in which the blocker finds no cause for fear or anxiety and with time the blocker should

face more troublesome situations to learn to rely on his/her ability

Conclusion

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