Adult Stuttering: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

Dysphemia in adults can be a disorder that, if left untreated, greatly detracts from quality of life.

There is a Wide range of speech disordersAmong these, stuttering (or dysphemia) happens to be one of the most common. This disorder consists in that the subject repeats words involuntarily, or gets stuck when pronouncing them.

In childhood this condition could appear, being temporary with time. In adolescence it would begin to diminish, so that during adulthood it has completely disappeared. But this does not always happen that way.

In this article we will review what are the main causes of stuttering in adults, and we will also give a review of the main causes of stuttering in adults.We will also give a review of the most characteristic symptoms of this disorder in people who have already passed the age of majority.

What is stuttering?

As we have seen, stuttering is a speech disorder, which is characterized by the involuntary repetition of spoken words and the presence of interruptions in speech..

The origin of this disorder is rooted in the lack of coordination of the peripheral movements required for speaking, but it has not been possible to determine a specific cause for stuttering in adults, nor for the other stages of development.

What has been established is that the prevalence of this speech complication is higher in males than in their male counterparts.compared to their female counterparts. Males are up to four times more genetically likely to have stuttering than females.

Stuttering in adulthood

If the necessary attention is not given during the early stages of development or the problem is not adequately solved, it may only disappear momentarily until the subject is faced with a situation that may trigger stuttering again.

If the stuttering has an organic root in the nervous system, probably the symptoms will be continuous during the whole life, but if it is fundamentally of emotional causes (nervousness, anxiety, fears, etc.), in many cases the presence of this alteration can diminish, but there is no cure. may diminish, but there is no total cure..

Frequent causes

Let us now look at some of the most common causes that cause this disorder to appear in adulthood.

• Having suffered a stroke, where the regions of the brain responsible for speech where the regions of the brain responsible for speech (Broca's area and Wernicke's area) are affected.
• Hereditary genetic abnormalities.
• Pathogenic frustrations (emotional trauma, bullying, intimidation).
• Brain infections.
• Prolonged exposure to stressful situations..
• Side effects of some drugs or medications.

Symptoms of stuttering in adults

The cases of adults who present stuttering are evidenced through the following symptoms.

• Repetition of sounds when speaking, parts of words or sentences.
• Feeling of anxiety when it is time to speak, especially in public.especially if it is in public.
• Physical symptoms of shyness when speaking with another person (blushing, sweating).
• The presence of continuous tics, can be movements of head or eyes.
• Lack of control and poor coordination when speaking..
• Pausing between words or in the middle of the word.
• Tense tone of voice.
• The subject has the sensation that he/she cannot control what he/she is saying.

It should be kept in mind that the intensity of the symptoms described above is variable, depending on the level of stress or distress the person is experiencing at the time of speaking. at the moment of speaking.

Treatment

To determine the most appropriate treatment in these cases, it is necessary to know What have been the causes that maintain the existence of stuttering?.

Taking into account that each person shows his or her reality in a very personal (subjective) way, it is necessary to conduct a semi-structured interview prior to the psychological evaluation.

Once the necessary data are available, the specialist will be able to discriminate which is the best therapeutic method, or if it is necessary to refer to a doctor (in case of organic affections).

The most popular methods for adult stutteringwhich have been shown to have very positive results, are the following.

Cognitive behavioral therapy

The therapist will identify the maladaptive thoughts that generate anxiety when speaking, or any other emotional symptom, and then replace these beliefs with more adaptive thoughts. with the objective that the subject loses fear and gains self-confidence..

In addition, intervention strategies on the person's behavior are established.

In any case, as already mentioned, in adult stuttering there is no cure that makes the symptoms disappear completely. Thus, treatment is focused on mitigating its effects and learning to live with dysphemia.

2. Speech therapy

The speech therapist works together with the psychologist to treat stuttering, especially when there are organic influences.especially when there are organic influences that prevent the muscles involved in speech from coordinating properly.

Through practical exercises that the person should perform at home (reading with a pencil in the mouth, breathing correctly when speaking, etc.), the specialist will evaluate the evolution of each case, and will inform the psychologist of the progress.

Bibliographical references:

• Guitar, B. (2005). Stuttering: An Integrated Approach to Its Nature and Treatment. San Diego: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Ward, D. (2006). Stuttering and Cluttering: Frameworks for understanding treatment. Hove and New York City: Psychology Press.