Stuttering as Disfluency

Diagnosis of stuttering in young children can be problematic because children in the process of acquiring language are likely to produce some of the same symptoms of this speech disorder as a natural part of the language acquisition process. To put it another way: It can be difficult to distinguish the mistakes made by all beginning speakers from the mistakes made by those children with a chronic speech disorder. This is especially true with a disorder like stuttering because it does not occur all the time. Finally, making a diagnosis of stuttering is even more complicated because all speakers û even adults speaking their native language û have some naturally occurring disfluencies.

While trying to distinguish between ordinary mistakes and hesitations in language acquisition and use and true stuttering is difficult, certain guidelines do exist to help parents, teachers and health-care providers determine whether a child is stuttering. A child who demonstrates abrupt hesitations in speech or frequent repetitions of a single word, syllable or sound or who is compressing the tongue

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ts that are temporally and spatially coordinated with each other (Starkweather and Givens-Ackerman, 1997, p. 75). Because no other activity requires precisely this combination of factors, it is possible for a person to stutter but to have no other disabilities. While this model may well be an accurate description of what happens during stuttering, it does not offer explanations as to why stuttering occurs in the specific individuals that suffer from it. ZimmermannÆs location of the reasons for stuttering in the purely physical realm do suggest a genetic explanation for the disability. The cause for stuttering may in fact be a genetic one, and there certainly seem to be at least a genetic component. One reason to suspect that this genetic component exists is the fact that three times as many boys are affected as girls. Also, the fact that stuttering does to some extent cluster in families suggests a genetic element to the disorder. However, it seems clear that further research must be done to determine both the physiological underpinnings of the disorder and the social and psychological elements that accompany it. As with many aspects of language, stuttering is a complex phenomenon. Clinicians have a number of possible therapies fo
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Some common words found in the essay are:
, Starkweather Givens-Ackerman, Lee Rubin, Nipa Borad, DM Rubin, oral reading, Unwin Eisenson, Interview Byrne, byrne 1983, speech disorder, eisenson 1986, Interview Briant, givens-ackerman 1997, rubin 1979, starkweather givens-ackerman 1997, References Borad, starkweather givens-ackerman, TX Pro-Ed, treatments stuttering include, true stuttering, type speech, language acquisition, lee rubin 1979, byrne 1983 7,
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Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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