Causes and Cures For Stuttering

In this film publicity image released by The Weinstein Company, Colin Firth portrays King George VI in "The King's Speech." The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best picture, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010. The Golden Globe awards will air live Jan. 16 on NBC. (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, Laurie Sparham)

With the release of The King’s Speech, stuttering seems to be on everyone’s brains lately.  What causes it?  Is there any help?

It is a puzzling and ancient affliction. According to the Stuttering Foundation, more than three million Americans of all ages, stutter. Stuttering is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (lllllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak. Stuttering is also referred to as stammering.

In an adult, stuttering is noted as speech behaviors such as repetitions and prolongations, often accompanied by great anxiety as he/she anticipates a speaking situation. This anxiety can make the speech behaviors worse, with some severe stutterers experiencing speech blocks and tremors of the lips and jaw, rapid eye blinking, and other body movements in their efforts to get their words out. Anticipating such struggle to talk often leads to more anxiety in future speaking situations and so the stuttering and the anxiety feed each other.

What causes stuttering? There are four factors most likely to contribute to the development of stuttering: genetics ( approximately 60% of those who stutter have a family member who does also); child development (children with other speech and language problems or developmental delays are more likely to stutter); neurophysiology ( recent research has shown that people who stutter process speech and language in different areas of the brain than those who do not stutter); and family dynamics (high expectations and fast-paced lifestyles can contribute to stuttering).

After years of unsuccessful speech therapy, many stutterers become discouraged about overcoming their problem. For them, speaking to strangers or answering a telephone remains a nightmare. However, recently developed techniques succeed in a majority of cases.

One of the new therapies uses a recording machine. Stutters hear their own speech fed back to them through earphones at a delay of milliseconds. By controlling their rate of speech, they can gradually eliminate the echo effect – and the stutter. Treatment duration varies from two weeks to a year or more, with children progressing the most rapidly.

Another high successful new method of treating stuttering aims at relaxing the vocal cords while keeping them vibrating. The stutterer exhales gently before beginning to speak and maintains the flow of air directly into the first spoken word or phrase. This prevents the vocal chords from tensing up and “lock” and the stuttering decreases greatly within two days. With diligent practice and follow up for about two years, an individual may be free of symptoms.

A number of drugs have been reported to reduce stuttering. One of these drugs is alprazolam (Xanax), an antianxiety agent. Included also are citalopram (Celexa), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and clomipramine (Anafranil), another strongly serotonergic drug. All three of these agents reduce stuttering in selective patients. However, only a minority of patients who stutter respond with increased fluency to any of these drugs. Those who do respond usually show only a very modest reduction in stuttering. Some stuttering experts believe severe stuttering may require two medications, one directed at each component of the disorder.

Ultimately, there are no instant miracle cures for stuttering. Therapy, electronic devices, and even drugs are not an overnight process. If you or someone you love is a stutter, it may help to know they are in fine company. Emily Blunt, James Earl Jones, John Stossel, Bill Walton, Mel Tillis, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Carly Simon, Annie Glenn, Nicholas Brendon, Ken Venturi, Bob Love, John Updike, King George VI -- all are famous people who stuttered and went on to have successful lives.

Robin Westen is ThirdAge’s medical reporter. Check for her daily updates. She is the author of “Ten Days to Detox: How to Look and Feel a Decade Younger.

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