• For many people, stammering gives them a feeling that their speech is way beyond their control. Such a feeling makes them worry and disturbed about their self-image, causing them to feel ashamed of themselves and to be extremely anxious every time they speak. Their tendency to stutter also makes them fear talking in front of others.
• The anxiety that a person feels boosts the intensity and frequency of stammering. This creates a cycle that only escalates the condition.
• Stammering behaviors develop and change in a person’s entire lifespan. Most people who stutter experience variations in the level of their speech problem. There are times when they stutter frequently, while at other times, they stutter just a bit.
• In children, there are times when stammering seem to disappear on its own, but it goes back later on a more severe level.
• About 80 percent of toddlers who stutter will eventually outgrow their speech disfluency. The remaining 20 percent of these children continue the speech condition for the rest of their lives. These children tend to talk very fast and struggle to say words that seem to stuck. This behavior increases the likelihood of stammering in later years.
People with stuttering problems are often misunderstood, and this make the problem worse for them. It is important that you know how to deal with and help your family members or friends who stutter so that they will be able to cope better with their condition.