My favorite definition of stuttering comes from the book Stammering Pride and Prejudice: Difference not Defect1 :

“Stammering (or Stuttering) is a neurodevelopmental difference that leads to a breakdown in the forward execution of speech sounds produced in the context of language, compared to societal norms.”

I like it because it not only talks about stuttering’s physical characteristics but also highlights its neurological foundation. The breakdowns (or disfluencies) mentioned most often appear as repetitions, prolongations, or blocks 2.

The word difference here deserves a spotlight. It is key as it signifies that stuttering is not a defect or a flaw, but rather a difference in how people communicate. It affirms that there is nothing inherently “wrong” with stuttered speech.

References

  1. Stammering Pride and Prejudice: Difference not Defect by J.R. Press ↩︎

  2. https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/stuttering/ ↩︎