t between 30 and 60 percent of all individuals who stutter also have a family member diagnosed with this dysfluency.
In describing stuttering and its dysfluencies, Hegde (2008) identified repetitions, prolongations, broken words, interjections (including pauses, revisions, and incomplete phrases), associated maxillo-facial nonverbal motor behaviors, avoidance of speaking situations, negative emotional reactions, and breathing abnormalities as commonly found in stuttering individuals. Similarly, Guitar (2006) makes the case that dysfluencies can be indexed with respect to the percentages of dysfluent speech present in a speech sample. These dysfluencies vary according to environmental factors and the psycho-emotional state of the individual (Shipley & McAfee, 1998).
It is particularly important to recognize that stuttering is a problem that can appear and disappear in fairly short order without any significant intervention on the part of speech and language therapists (Guitar, 2006). There is no reliable prevalence data for stuttering in adults and it appears that recovery from stuttering without treatment (known as spontaneous or natural recovery) is common. Although it is not known how many children who stutter recover without treatment, there is some evidence discussed by Guitar (2006) suggesting that individuals who stutter in childhood may be at greater risk for developing other dysfluencies as adults. One area that has not been given sufficient attention in the literature is the relationship between psychological and neurological factors that are linked to stuttering (Guitar, 2006).
Stuttering can be emotionally debilitating and can inhibit normal socialization patterns (Guitar, 2006). Assessment and diagnosis should occur as early as possible when symptoms are noticed either by a parent or by medical caregivers and/or educators. Guitar (2006) states that a number of risk factors are associated with stutter...