Stuttering and Cluttering

Are these noticeable to others and affect everyday talking at work, presentations or in social settings?  These interruptions are called dysfluencies and may cause frustration or affect one’s self confidence. 

The good news is, stuttering is treatable. We have successfully helped teens and adults with mild to severe stuttering conditions. Drop us an enquiry or read on to find out more!

What is Stuttering?

Stuttering is a speech disorder where the smooth flow of speech is disrupted. This dysfluency may interfere with the ability to be clearly understood. It is estimated that in Singapore, more than 1 per cent of the population stammers.

Some types of stutters include:

• Repetitions of sounds, syllables or words e.g.  LLLet’s go to Orchard or Ba-Ba Bali has great beaches.
• Blockings that are silence as the person tries to speak.
• Prolongations such as (e.g. Can i have a drrrrink please?)
• Verbal disruptions may be accompanied by body, head and facial movements such as eye-blinking or other signs of struggle and tension.

What Causes Stuttering?

The causes of stuttering are multifactorial. Stuttering has been strongly linked to a genetic basis. Stuttering also affects more males than females, with reported rations varying from 3:1 to 5:1 (Onslow, 1998).  In addition, brain studies have also shown differences in the brains of people who stutter, compared to normal individuals.

Stuttering may also be influenced by environmental factors and may worsen in situations that produce anxiety or stress.

Onset of Stuttering

The onset of stuttering typically occurs in the early years of life, between 2 to 5 years old or as soon as a child starts putting words together into short sentences. Sometimes, stuttering may be ‘acquired’ in late childhood or early adulthood. “Acquired” stuttering may occur due to psychogenic reasons or neurological trauma such as a head injury or stroke.

Stuttering treatment

Prolonged or Smooth Speech Techniques have been shown to have very favourable outcomes.

Clients are taught specific strategies to improve their fluency and control the stutter. Treatment is conducted on an individual basis and tailored to suit the client’s needs. This may include reading, presentations, speaking engagements, job interviews or other social situations. This is important, especially as first impressions count.

What is Cluttering?
Cluttering is another fluency disorder that is less well-known. Individuals with cluttering often speak at an unusually fast rate; they may also repeat syllables or words. Prosody and articulation may also be affected. For instance, an individual may display articulation difficulties, such as “buttercup” as “tuttertup”, or omit sounds in words “crocodile” as “crodile”.