Developing a Stutter in Adulthood: Exploring Causes & Solutions
Developing a stutter in adulthood can be an unexpected and sometimes puzzling experience. While stuttering is often associated with early childhood speech challenges, it’s important to know that stuttering can also begin later in life, sometimes referred to as acquired stuttering.
This adult-onset stuttering can develop suddenly, often requiring urgent medical attention, particularly when associated with other symptoms that might indicate a stroke or other brain injury.
Key Takeaways:
Adult-Onset Stuttering: Stuttering is a speech disorder that can develop in adulthood, often triggered by neurological changes, psychological factors, sudden stuttering, or side effects from medication.
Causes of Adult-Onset Stuttering: Key causes include neurological conditions, psychological stress or emotional trauma, medication side effects, persistent stuttering linked to genetic factors, and sometimes unknown factors.
Treatment Options: Effective treatments for acquired stuttering include speech therapy.
Role of Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs): Speech therapists provide tailored therapy plans to help individuals improve speech fluency and manage anxiety.
Understanding Adult-Onset Stuttering
Common Causes of Stuttering in Adulthood
How Stuttering Can Impact Daily Life
The Role of Speech Therapy in the Treatment of Adult-Onset Stuttering
What is Stuttering?
Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder that disrupts the natural flow and fluency of speech. It is characterized by involuntary repetitions of sounds, syllables, or words, prolongations of sounds, and blocks where speech is interrupted.
Stuttering can affect individuals of all ages, from early childhood through adulthood, and can significantly impact their communication skills and daily interactions. Developmental stuttering develops in early childhood and is often linked to a combination of genetic, neurological, and environmental factors. A family history of childhood stuttering is a known risk factor for developmental stuttering but is not typically associated with stuttering that begins in adulthood.
Understanding Adult-Onset Stuttering
Adult-onset stuttering refers to the emergence of stuttering in adulthood, either suddenly or gradually, often in individuals with no prior history of stuttering. It disrupts the natural flow of speech, leading to repetitions, prolongations, or blocks that can make communication more difficult.
Unlike childhood-onset fluency disorders, adult-onset stuttering often requires an in-depth exploration of its underlying causes and tailored treatment approaches to address the specific needs of adults.
Common Causes of Stuttering in Adulthood
Stuttering that begins in adulthood can have a variety of causes, each impacting speech in unique ways.
Neurological Causes
Adult-onset stuttering is often linked to neurological changes. Conditions such as brain injuries, strokes, or neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s can disrupt the brain’s ability to coordinate speech and motor control, leading to stuttering.
Additionally, neurological stress can impact speech and contribute to adult-onset stuttering. It can cause the relapse of speech disfluencies or even lead to sudden stuttering without an obvious trigger.
Psychological or Emotional Triggers
Stress, trauma, or heightened anxiety can also contribute to stuttering in adulthood, also known as psychogenic stuttering. These psychological triggers may exacerbate speech disruptions, especially in high-pressure situations.
Emotional trauma, stemming from psychological stress, anxiety, or severe life events, can also lead to the sudden onset of psychogenic stuttering in adults. This form often develops in response to significant emotional events or persistent mental health challenges, underscoring the intricate link between mind and speech.
Medication Side Effects
Stuttering can sometimes be an unintended side effect of certain medications. Drugs that affect the nervous system, such as those used for seizures, mood disorders, or other conditions, may influence speech fluency.
Unknown Causes
Despite advancements in research, there are instances where the exact cause of adult-onset stuttering remains unclear. This is called idiopathic stuttering. These cases can be frustrating for individuals seeking answers, but they also highlight the complexity of speech and the need for personalized care to address symptoms effectively.
How Stuttering Can Impact Daily Life
Adult-onset stuttering can bring unexpected challenges, touching nearly every aspect of daily life. Emotionally, it may lead to frustration or embarrassment, especially when expectations of smooth, confident communication are disrupted.
Socially, individuals may avoid certain interactions or situations, fearing judgment or misunderstanding.
The impact can be even more pronounced in professional settings. Speaking in meetings, giving presentations, or even casual workplace interactions can become sources of stress, potentially affecting career growth and opportunities.
Despite these challenges, it’s essential to know that stuttering doesn’t have to define one’s life or communication. With understanding, support, and effective therapies, individuals can significantly reduce the impact of stuttering and reclaim confidence in their speech. Families, friends, and colleagues also play a vital role in creating an encouraging environment where communication feels safe and valued.
The Role of Speech Therapy in the Treatment of Adult-Onset Stuttering
Speech-language therapy is available to help individuals regain fluency and confidence in their communication.
Speech-language pathologists specializing in fluency disorders address the physical aspects of speech disruptions and the emotional challenges that often accompany them.
Speech therapy techniques may include fluency shaping, which focuses on breath control, pacing, and articulation to enhance the flow of speech. Stuttering modification helps individuals manage disfluencies by reducing tension and maintaining control during stuttering moments.
Speech therapists also provide strategies to address these emotional barriers for those experiencing anxiety or self-doubt related to speaking.
Beyond teaching techniques, speech therapists provide a supportive environment for practicing communication skills in real-life scenarios. The goal is to empower individuals to communicate effectively and reduce the impact of stuttering on their personal and professional lives.
By working with a skilled speech-language pathologist, individuals with adult-onset stuttering can gain the tools and confidence needed to improve their fluency and more easily navigate communication challenges.
Frequently Asked Questions About Stutter in Adulthood
1. Why would an adult develop a stutter?
Common causes include neurological factors, such as brain injuries, strokes, or conditions like Parkinson’s disease that affect speech areas in the brain. Psychological triggers, such as stress, trauma, or anxiety, can also lead to stuttering in adulthood.
Additionally, certain medications or their side effects may influence speech fluency. The exact cause remains unclear in some cases, but adult-onset stuttering can occur for various reasons beyond childhood speech development.
2. Can stuttering be cured in adults?
While there is no one-size-fits-all "cure" for stuttering in adults, speech therapy can significantly improve speech fluency and confidence.
3. What does neurogenic stuttering sound like?
Neurogenic stuttering is characterized by disruptions in speech caused by neurological changes, such as brain injury, stroke, or degenerative conditions. Unlike developmental stuttering, which often includes repetitions of sounds or syllables, neurogenic stuttering may involve a broader range of disruptions, such as repetitions, prolongations, or speech blocks, occurring throughout speech.
4. How does acquired stuttering differ from developmental stuttering?
Acquired stuttering occurs in adulthood due to neurological changes (e.g., stroke, brain injury) or psychological factors, while developmental stuttering occurs in childhood with no specific trigger.
Unlike developmental stuttering, which often involves repetitions at the beginning of words, acquired stuttering can affect speech more broadly, including pauses or blocks in various parts of sentences.
How Connected Speech Pathology Can Help
At Connected Speech Pathology, we support both adults with acquired stuttering and children with developmental stuttering. Our experienced team identifies each client’s specific challenges and develops an approach tailored to their needs.
Using evidence-based techniques, such as fluency shaping and cognitive-behavioral strategies, we help clients gain greater control over their speech comfortably and effectively.
One of our strengths is our ability to offer remote speech therapy. With years of experience delivering online sessions, we’ve found this approach highly effective. It provides flexible scheduling and easy access for clients with busy lives or those in remote areas.
Summary
Acquired stuttering in adulthood can be challenging, but it's important to remember that gaining control over speech and language skills with the proper support and treatment is possible. Speech-language therapy can help reduce the impact of stuttering and improve communication.
About the Author
Allison Geller is a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and the owner of Connected Speech Pathology. She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Florida in Speech-Language Pathology. Allison has practiced speech therapy in a number of settings including telepractice, acute care, outpatient rehabilitation, and private practice. She has worked extensively with individuals across the lifespan including toddlers, preschoolers, school-aged children, and adults. She specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of a variety of communication disorders including receptive/expressive language disorders, articulation disorders, voice disorders, fluency disorders, brain injury, and swallowing disorders.
Allison served as the clinical coordinator of research in aphasia in the Neurological Institute at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. She is on the Board of Directors for the Corporate Speech Pathology Network (CORSPAN), a Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT) certified clinician, and a proud Family Empowerment Scholarship/Step-Up For Students provider. Allison is passionate about delivering high quality-effective treatment remotely because it’s convenient and easy to access. What sets us apart from other online speech therapy options is—Allison takes great care to hire the very best SLPs from all over the country.
