The are many reasons why a person may develop a stutter, and I am going to explain a few of them in this article.
We learn to talk by observing the people around us. This happens from
birth and when our vocal chords are fully formed we start to speak. If
a member of our close family has a stuttering problem, there is a good
chance that we could pick up their bad habits and also start to
stutter. I have met many people who stutter, who inform me that
somebody in their family also suffers with stuttering and for some
reason it is normally their father.
Many parents have stated to me, that even though they do have a
stutter, that they have always been able to speak fluently to and
around their child. Unfortunately children listen to conversations when
we least expect it (when we think they are in bed, for example) and are
likely to hear the stutter at various time, like during a phone call.
How a parent reacts when their child first starts to stutter is very
important. If they are calm and patient and do not over-react, there is
a good chance the child won't panic and worry. If the parent reacts
shocked and responds sharply, with words to the effect of, get your
words out boy, this can have a very damaging effect. The child is
likely to panic and is more than likely to stutter again out of nerves
and tension.
The third reason people start to stutter is a response to a shock
reaction. I have in the past number of years come into contact with
people who have started stuttering after a serious car crash, after
being mugged and even after giving birth.
The fourth reason is copying someone else who has a stutter. I have
heard in a number of cases where children have started to stutter after
copying a friend at school. This friend had a stutter, and they copied
them as if it was some kind of game. In one story I heard, a fluent man
joined the navy, accompanying him on the ship was a man who had a
stutter. During one trip overseas, the fluent person constantly mocked
and mimicked the stutterer, and to his horror, by the end of the trip
could not stop stuttering himself. He eventually ended up killing
himself, so the story goes.
