Stuttering

Definition:

Hesitation with repetition and/or spasmodic stumbling while speaking.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Young children often go through a short period of stuttering, but this phase is very transient. For a small percentage (less than 1%), the stuttering progresses from simple repetition of consonants to repetition of words and phrases. Later vocal spasms develop with a forced, almost explosive sound to the speech.

Stuttering tends to run in families. There is also evidence that stuttering may be associated with some neurological deficits but there is also a strong psychological component. People with significant speech difficulty often don't stutter when singing, talking to animals, or reading to small children, or when they are alone talking to themself. Stuttering tends to persist into adulthood more in males than females.