Speech and Language Therapist Beyza Erkaya Güler made a statement on the occasion of World Stuttering Day. Pointing out that stuttering is a fluency disorder characterized by involuntary disruption of speech, Beyza Güler said, “It is defined as a speech disorder that includes features such as repetitions, prolongations and blocks and therefore interrupts the flow of speech. Approximately 5 percent of people stutter at a certain period of their lives.” “Stuttering can generally start between the ages of 2 and 5.” he said.
IT IS MORE SEEN IN BOYS
Stating that the frequency of stuttering may differ depending on gender, Beyza Erkaya Güler said, “It is thought that the prevalence and frequency of stuttering are also related to the gender variable. Stuttering in girls’ childhood is less common than in boys, at a rate of 1:6 to 1:3. This rate changes with the increase of age and intervention is required in girls.” Recovery without stuttering is more common in men. Additionally, it is thought that individuals with a family member who stutters have a higher rate of stuttering than individuals without a family member who stutters.
Stuttering, as it is known among the public, does not occur by fear or imitating an individual who stutters. Although the cause of stuttering is not known for certain, it is thought to occur as a result of a combination of genetic, neurophysiological, environmental and temperamental factors. “Although stuttering is not an intelligence problem, individuals who stutter may have normal or above-normal intelligence.” he said.
Emphasizing that stuttering is classified under two headings, Beyza Erkaya Güler said, “Stuttering is classified under two headings: acquired stuttering and developmental stuttering. While neurogenic stuttering is usually seen in adulthood due to reasons such as cerebrovascular events, direct-indirect head traumas, ischemic attacks, traumatic brain injury. Psychogenic stuttering occurs in adults as a result of extreme stress and anxiety, usually as a result of psychological trauma.
Developmental stuttering is the most common stuttering subclass and usually begins in the preschool years and can continue into older ages. Although the cause of developmental stuttering is not clearly known, it is thought to be affected by motor, linguistic, neurological and environmental factors. In addition to the disfluencies observed in the act of speech, individuals with stuttering may also exhibit some secondary behaviors such as blinking, nodding, and avoiding speaking. “However, reduced verbal output, avoidance of words, grammatical limitations, reduced quality of life, and bullying in the educational setting are considered examples of different areas that negatively impact stuttering,” he said.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY INTERVENTION
Touching on the importance of early intervention in stuttering, Speech and Language Therapist Beyza Erkaya Güler continued her words as follows;
“In stuttering that begins in early childhood, the severity value may change within months or weeks. It has been reported that stuttering disappears spontaneously in almost 80 percent of children with early onset stuttering. In stuttering, the types and frequency of speech disorders, related motor behaviors, speech avoidance behaviors, speech The assessment of speed and negative emotional reactions should also include observation of secondary behaviors and stuttering.
Video recordings taken to provide speech samples are important not only for evaluation but also for monitoring developments during therapy. In addition, the evaluation processes of pre-school individuals, school-age individuals and adolescent-adult individuals differ. Early intervention in stuttering is very important for speech to become more fluent, for the individual to communicate more easily, and to reduce any anxiety about speaking. In cases of stuttering occurring during the developmental period, stuttering may disappear with early intervention, but as time passes since stuttering, stuttering becomes chronic. For this reason, if children have stuttering-like disfluencies that last more than 6 months and the severity of stuttering increases, they should receive evaluation from a specialist speech and language therapist without delay.”
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