Why do we stutter?

 WHY DO WE STUTTER? 

May 30, 2021

Hello, dear friends. Hoping your Sunday is going good. I am really thankful for all your support and that's what keeps me going and unraveling mystical answers for you all. So, considering your suggestions we will again move back to some facts with a bit of Biology as well as Chemistry. 

Without any further ado let's dive into the amazing world of Biology. 

Stuttering or stammering is an interruption in the flow of speech that many kids go through growing up.

It is a type of dysfluency in the flow of speech that can make the person repeat certain syllables, words, phrases or it can even drag out part of a word. Children and even adults who stammer know what they want to convey but the words just don't come out easily. 

So what causes this stuttering among us? I always believed it occurred due to fear of something or someone or due to some phobia. But you know Science, just keeps on transmuting. So, I am proven wrong by the almighty science😆 (is it sci-fi?  I have been watching such movies recently so maybe I wrote such a sentence.)😜😜 Please bear with my silly commentary🙏

Anyways back to the topic. 

 Again, as science is a developing field of study so far researchers aren't entirely sure why some people stutter. But most believe that certain factors contribute to it. Such as a problem with the way the brain's messages interact with the muscles and body parts needed for speaking. 

Humans have a remarkable ability to share their thoughts through speech and language. And to make this talking process smooth two parts of the brain called Wernicke's area and Broca's area play a crucial role in it. 

Wernicke's area:

Wernicke's area is said to be located in the temporal lobe on the left side of the brain region. Although the exact location of this region is not is still debatable. But we surely know that this region is essential for language development and helps us choose the right words all while expressing our views. 

And once thought is coded into language the Broca's area in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere of the brain gets activated. 

Broca's area:

This region then sends the message to the muscles that control speech conveying them to move and make the right sounds come out. Then the mouth, face, neck, tongue, and throat muscles move to form words. And that's how we can smoothly communicate.  

But in some cases, this process doesn't work perfectly. If there is a brain stroke or injury it either damages the Broca's area or reduces the blood flow in this part of the brain. Due to this brains finds it hard to send a signal to the speech muscles which causes a person to stutter while speaking.  

The first signs of stuttering appear when a child is about 18-24 months old as the brain is still developing. And in many cases, it goes away on its own at the age of 5. But if someone continues to stutter after the age of 5 it is recommended to talk to your doctor or a speech-language therapist. 

Did You Know?

Stuttering was suffered by:

The legendary singer Elvis Presley.

The legendary actor Rowan Atkinson 

And the legendary naturalist who gave us the theory of evolution. Yes, none other than Charles Darwin. 

Also, stammering is more common in boys than girls. 

I hope you all like this post and find something new to learn. I will be there next Sunday, till then keep looking through your binoculars, microscopes and test tubes.