B1 – Intermediate
A fluency disorder that start when a child is very young is also known as “stuttering”. It is a speech disorder which affects around 5%-10% of people during their childhood. Some cases end in childhood while 25% continues to have this speech defect until they become adults.
Stutterers have a lot of problems in their daily lives because they are often misunderstood and the condition is not effectively treated.
Listen to this audio and read the transcript about reasons people stutter and its possible treatments.
https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/why-people-stutter-level-3/
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “to stutter” mean? “They studied the brains of people who stutter or who recovered from a stutter; they found they are different from the brains of people who don’t.” Use it in a sentence and give a synonym of this verb.
- What does the phrase “run in the/one’s family” mean? “The condition often runs in families, and some of the genetic differences are related to sex.” Use it in a sentence and give a synonym of this idiom.
- What is the meaning of the word “onset“? “The treatment of stutter differs and depends on whether the person is a young child very close to onset, a school-aged child, or an adult.” Make your own sentence and give a synonym of this word.
Discussion Questions:
- What are the causes of stuttering in childhood?
- What causes stuttering adults?
- Have you ever stuttered? Talk about this situation.
- How can disfluency be treated?
- Do you know anyone who has this disorder? What problems do they have to deal with having this condition?
- Why do you think stuttering isn’t treated properly/effectively?
2 replies on “Why People Stutter”
• What are the causes of stuttering in childhood?
The scientists don’t know the real reason, but they say that there is a neurological component, and it can also be genetic.
• What causes stuttering in adults?
• Have you ever stuttered? Talk about this situation.
I don’t remember stuttering often, but sometimes, if you feel nervous, you can stammer.
• How can disfluency be treated?
People can learn some techniques, but these techniques only reduce the problem. With these techniques, people learn that what they say is more important than how they say it.
• Do you know anyone who has this disorder? What problems do they have to deal with having this condition?
I don’t know anyone with that severe problem. I know people who stutter when they are nervous.
I think it is a serious problem because if you stutter, you might not seem confident.
• Why do you think stuttering isn’t treated properly/effectively?
I think that brain problems are very difficult to solve. Also, people are very different, so the treatments should be tailored to each individual.
Maybe if help is provided when the problem is detected and with continuous treatment, the symptoms can be reduced.
Job well done answering your lesson’s discussion questions.
A bit better expressions to use in this sentence are:
Practice consistently and remember to try to use more accurate vocabulary to express your ideas.