Stammering or stuttering is a common and embarassing problem. It makes conversation difficult. A person who stammers tends to repeat words. Sometimes only syllables come out, like “thut thut”, and the entire word is not formed. This leads to a lot of embarrassment.

Bystanders either think they are mentally deficient or make fun of them. In schools, untrained teachers may not recognise this problem. They embarrass and humiliate the child in front of others. They may be singled out or punished.

Stammering is commoner in boys, especially between the ages of two and five. Almost 5 per cent of young children stutter as do 1 per cent of adults. Usually, 70 to 90 per cent children spontaneously recover by the age of seven. If stammering persists despite guidance, professional help should be sought. Rarely, stammering can suddenly appear in an adult.

Stammering has been around for thousands of years and was described in books as a speech impediment. It was also considered to be caused because of possession by evil spirits. Julius Caesar and Napoleon are supposed to have been stammerers. It is, therefore, not a reflection of the intelligence or capabilities of the person.

Why do children stammer? These are intelligent children. Sometimes the speed of their thought does not keep pace with the motor coordination required to speak at that rate. So, when they think faster than they speak, the words and sentences come out in stutters. People become impatient, worsening the problem.

Stuttering can partly be genetic, it is often seen that multiple members of a family may stammer. It may worsen in situations of stress and anxiety. This can also precipitate stammering in a person who does not have a problem otherwise.

Stammering is a mismatch in coordination between signals from the brain and the physical act of speaking. When the brains of people who stammer were studied, their dopamine levels were less. There were also some differences in the brain scans taken while speaking between the people who stuttered and those who did not.

The stammering that starts suddenly in an older person has to be investigated. The person may be having a stroke, or it may be early Parkinson’s or some other neurological disease. It should not be ignored but must be investigated.

There is no magic tablet in any of the systems of medicine for stammering. This leads to searches for miracle cures. Often, half a teaspoon of honey is put in the child’s mouth soon after birth to prevent stammering, especially if it runs in the family. This will not help with stammering. But if the honey is contaminated with Clostridium botulinum bacteria, its toxin can produce fatal botulism in the child.

To help, if a person is stuttering:

Speech therapy does wonders for people who stutter, but along with the treatment, you can practise and help your child at home to some extent.

Develop the habit of speaking slowly. Form the sentences in your brain first before you speak, and speak in a singsong way. Even people who stutter badly are not hindered by it when they sing. Practise singing along with the music.

Sometimes stammering is accompanied by other inappropriate physical activities like clenching the fist, blinking or spasms. People saw this and felt that stuttering was precipitated by anxiety. Anti-anxiety medications were tried but did not help.

If stammering is not tackled early, the person suffers from low self-esteem and tends to become isolated, and socially awkward. If a career is not appropriately chosen, they do not achieve their full potential in life.

The writer has a family practice at Vellore and is the author of Staying Healthy in Modern India. If you have any questions on health issues please write to yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in