Stuttering

Stuttering (dysfluent speech) affects the social and emotional development of its victims. The family physician is often the first professional to encounter the stutterer and his family. The severity of stuttering is determined not only by the number of prolongations and hesitations, but also by the patient's fear of the dysfluent moment and, in turn, the creation of avoidance behaviors to hide the disability. The etiology remains unclear, but both biologic and psychologic factors are involved.