Stuttering

3

Ta n ner, D. C.

Case Studies in Communication Sciences and Disorders,

Second Edition (pp. 45-66).

(^) © 2017 SLACK Incorporated.
There is no such thing as conversation. It is an illusion.
There are intersecting monologues. That is all.
— Rebecca West
In this chapter, the f luency disorder of stuttering is defined and discussed. Theories about the
etiology of stuttering and diagnostic issues are presented. Treatment of the vis i ble features of stut-
tering, auditory symptoms, anxiety, and associated negative emotions, as well as the inf luence of
the disorder on self- concept and speech- related self- esteem, are also reviewed. Case studies include
a precocious 3- year- old child whose mental abilities exceed her speech motor skills, an intellectu-
ally disabled person who stutters, and a 5- year- old boy in whom stuttering was prevented. Other
case studies illustrate vari ous treatment approaches and an account of therapy in a camp situation.
Stuttering is a f luency disorder affecting the ability to make speech sounds effortlessly. Fluency
is the smoothness and ease with which units of speech are combined in oral language. A f luency
disorder is an impairment in the ability to produce speech without interjections, fillers, blocks,
or hesitations. Stuttering is an age- old communication disorder, and it occurs in all cultures and
languages. The ancient Greeks referred to stuttering, and some religious scholars believe that
Moses stuttered. Public figures, celebrities, and entertainers with a stuttering prob lem include
Charles Darwin, King George VI, Winston Churchill, Joe Biden, George Burns, Marilyn Monroe,
Bob Newhart, James Earl Jones, John Stossel, Carly Simon, Nicole Kidman, and Bruce Willis