Stuttering, scientifically known as stammering is a speech disorder in which the normal flow of speech is frequently disrupted by repetitions of sounds, syllables, words or phrases, pauses and prolongations that differ both in frequency and severity from those of a normally fluent speaker. The term stuttering is most often associated with involuntary sound repetition. An example of involuntary sound repetition, would be: - Trying to say the word "ken", but instead saying "k-k-ken" Often times these individuals will put words together. An example would be: - "Llllllets g-g-go home" Not only is stuttering involuntary sound repetition it also contains the unnormal hesitation or pausing before speech. This pause or hesitation is commonly called a "block". Alot of the variables that make up 'true' stuttering cannot be heard or seen by a listener. The things that cannot be observed include: - word and sound and situational fears - shame - anxiety - tension - "loss of control" feeling during speech Often times the most difficult aspect of the stutter or stammering disorder is the emotional state of the individual. The dissorder affects about 1.5% of the world's adult population, and approximately 5% of children. A greater rate of stuttering has been observed in Africanand West Indies adults. These rates can be as high as 10%. Men around the globe make up about eighty percent of all stutterers. Part of this huge difference between male and females is attributed to the fact that women are so much more likely to outgrow or recover from the disorder. Presently there is no known cause for the disorder. There are several theories for the disorder; they can be divided into 3 categories. There is no known cause for stuttering. Theories about the causes of stuttering can be ided into three categories: 'The "Monster" study', 'Genetics', and 'Childhood development'. Fast Facts: - Stuttering usually begins in early childhood, when a child is first developing his or her speech and language skills - The majority of stutters develop between the ages of two and five - Stutters can developed later in life, however are usually through a stroke or other type of brain trauma - 50% to 70% of all stutterers are related to another stutterer - Most children go through a stage of disfluency in early speech