The Prof is In

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Re: Stuttering onset: Can something "trigger" stuttering?

From: Ken St. Louis
Date: 14 Oct 2011
Time: 09:56:42 -0500
Remote Name: 157.182.15.31

Comments

Jen, Good question about whether or not your stuttering can be attributed to a traumatic event at the age of 8. Honestly, I don't think anyone can tell you with 100% certainty that your stuttering would have emerged at some point if that traumatic event had not occurred. But I'll go out on a limb and speculate that there is about a 95% chance that you would have stuttered at some point, regardless. I would also not be surprised if you had stuttered some when you were very young, but simply "outgrew" it (spontaneously recovered). Stuttering does typically begin during the preschool years, but a fair number of cases start in the early elementary years as well. At least that's when many became aware that they stuttered. Can stuttering start after a psychologically traumatic event? Absolutely. Van Riper described so-called Track III stutterers whose onsets are often (though not always late), who often have silent or laryngeal blocks, who are typically highly aware of the stuttering right from the start, and who often have elaborate accessory behaviors. Aside from the post-traumatic onset, do any of these other symptoms fit you? Hope this helps a little. Ken


Last changed: 10/22/11