Acquired stuttering

Published on November 30, 2016   27 min

Other Talks in the Series: Speech Dysfluency

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0:00
Welcome to this lecture on "Acquired Stuttering". My name is Jane Harley, and I'm a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist at the Michael Palin Centre in London, in the UK. And I'm the Clinical Lead for our service for adults, including adults who present with acquired stuttering. Before starting, I would like to acknowledge the authors listed in the references at the end of these slides, with expertise I've drawn on in compiling this talk.
0:29
Stuttering or stammering, if you live here in the UK, is a speech disorder which is characterized by repetition of sounds or syllables, prolongation of sounds, and tense pauses known as speech blocks. It may be accompanied by physical tension, struggle, concomitant movements, and a range of cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to anticipated or actual moments of stuttering.
0:57
It normally starts between two and five years of age, and when this is the case, we refer to it as developmental stuttering.
1:05
We refer to stuttering as being acquired when its onset is later than this typical time frame. And when it is associated with neurological or psychological events or processes, acquired stuttering typically has its onset in adulthood, but it is possible for a child to have an acquired stutter. For example, after a childhood stroke or epilepsy or significant psychological trauma, the term acquired stuttering is not used to describe developmental stuttering, which reemerges or becomes more overt in adulthood.