What is stuttering?

Stuttering is a speech disorder that affects 1% of the world's population. It can be caused by genetics or differences in brain activity. There are three main types of stutters: blocks, repetitions, and prolongations. 

While all speakers experience disruptions in fluency from time to time, what makes stuttering different is the feeling of loss of control over speaking and tension or struggle to get words out. Blocks, repetitions, and prolongations are unique to people who stutter.

A block happens when a word feels stuck and no sound comes out, like “Hello, can _____I have a cappuccino, please?”

A repetition can be a single sound, part of a word, or whole words. Sometimes people who do not stutter repeat a whole word here and there. Here are a couple of examples:

• “Hello, can I have a c-c-c-cappuccino, please?”

• “Hello, can I have a ca-ca-cappuccino, please?”

A prolongation is a sound that is held out, like ““Hello, can I hhhhhhhhave a cappuccino, please?”

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