Speech disorder Stuttering often suffers double

World Stuttering Day: knowledge deficits about the speech disorder

22/10/2014

In Germany live about 800,000 people who stutter permanently. Mostly they suffer not only from their speech disorder but also from the reactions of their fellow human beings. Their knowledge deficits often lead to embarrassment and insults. The World Day of Stuttering on 22 October is intended to help sensitize the population to the issue.

Embarrassments and insults
About 800,000 people living in Germany stutter permanently. Most of them not only suffer from their speech disorder but also struggle with the embarrassment and insults of unsensitive fellow human beings. For example, some people turn their heads off embarrassed and at the first opportunity the interlocutor searches for space. In daily life, stuttering people often encounter the same reactions. „Some treat stutterers as if they are inferior, some even react with laughter or aggression“, said Alexander Wolff von Gudenberg, director of the speech therapy institute Parlo in Calden near Kassel opposite the news agency dpa. On October 22, the World Stuttering Day will raise awareness of the topic.

Even celebrities find it difficult to come out
Although the success of the movie „The King's Speech“ about the stuttering King George VI. the psychologist and author Johannes von Tiling says: „There is still a large deficit of knowledge about stuttering in Germany.“ The chairman of the Bundesvereinigung Stottern & Selbsthilfe (BVSS), Martin Sommer, explained that one of the reasons for this is that stutterers seldom speak word for word about their concerns. Those affected would rather withdraw and minimize their social contacts. Even celebrities who stutter, it is often difficult to come out. For example, few would know that Marylin stole Monroe and Bruce Willis as a child as well. The most well-known concern in Germany is probably „The Earl“, Singer of the band „Unholy“.

Disturbance divided into three core symptoms
In stutterers, the interruptions are divided into three core symptoms: repetitions, strains of sounds, and blockages. Children stutter most often, Sommer explained. According to recent data, it is up to eleven percent. However, the stuttering disappears on their own or during therapy until puberty. According to the figures, only about one percent of adults stutter, around 80 percent of them are male. Most of the time the problem persists throughout their lives. That it comes to spontaneous remissions after puberty is extremely rare. Even with therapies, the disorder can then usually only alleviate and not completely cancel.

New forms of therapy were added
The therapies have two major directions. On the one hand the fluency shaping, in which sufferers practice a soft bound speech for a better speech control. And on the other hand, the stutter modification, in which the normal flow of speech maintained and only on slopes is trying to resolve the blockage with special techniques controlled. In the past decades, however, completely new therapies were added. Thus, the online therapy against the stuttering offers for people who „otherwise do not want or can not do therapy“, as stated by Gudenberg. Some providers, however, also repeatedly make inappropriate promises of salvation regarding new miracle drugs. Experts warn against that. „There is still no miracle pill that can cure stuttering“, so summer. „But suffering from stuttering is curable.“

Reasons for stuttering not sufficiently researched
The reasons for the stuttering have not been sufficiently researched so far. According to experts, it is caused by errors in the cooperation of left and right brain. In addition, studies have shown that in 70 percent of the cases stuttering is genetic and that stuttering people have three times more relatives who also stutter. It is believed that only one predisposition is inherited, so the offspring would not necessarily stutter. It is said that the area in the brain that drives the tongue is more active in people without speech disorders. (Ad)