Stuttering is a problem that is found in about one percent of the adult population. It is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by the repetition of certain sounds, typically consonants.

The reasons for stuttering seem to fall into four basic categories. It is increasingly thought that there is a large genetic component to stuttering. Nearly everyone who stutters has a family member who also does. Many young children stop stuttering after only a short time of doing so.

It is also widely believed that the way parents and other adults respond to children first learning to speak can affect how much they stutter. There can also be psychological reasons for stuttering. Some sufferers may have undergone past trauma which affected the development of their speech. Many scientists also believe that stutterers process language in a different part of the brain than those who speak normally.

Keep in mind that more than one factor can be at work among those who stutter. Also remember that the reason a person stutters may be different from the reason he is unable to stop stuttering. Interestingly, about four times as many men stutter than women. It is not yet known why this is the case, but scientists are investigating the genetic component to find out if this could be a hereditary problem.

About 20 percent of all children stutter at some point in their development, but most stop stuttering at an early age, leaving only the 1 percent that continues into adulthood. Identifying the problem early and pursuing treatment usually seems to be the best course of action. Knowing some basic facts about stuttering is an important first step on the road to finding an effective way to learn to stop stuttering.