CHENNAI: A stammering disorder can make an individual terribly anxious about doing well in a world that is as strident about communication fluency as it can be unforgiving of speech imperfections.

If left untreated, stammering or stuttering, can adversely affec the self-esteem, inter-personal relations and even professional advancement of the individual , speech pathologists said. A clinic to exclusively tackle stuttering has been launched in the city. The Special Clinic for Stuttering attached to the MERF Institute of Speech and Hearing will have a team of specialists comprising speech pathologist, clinical psychologist, linguist and audiologist. It is pointed out that many individual with this disorder are unaware about the availability of effective therapeutic tools that can cure the speech disorder. The clinic will use a combination of behavioural therapy, speech modification and psychotherapy sessions to restore normal speech patterns. Parent counselling also forms an important component of therapy.

Though there is no data on the incidence of stuttering, it is believed that roughly 1 per cent of the population suffers from this disorder. The exact cause is unknown, though the problem is commonly traced to genetic trait, language development difficulties, neurological and psychological factors. Males are more predisposed to the disorder. Stuttering can be classified as disfluency, developmental and acquired. Usually, the onset of symptoms of stuttering is between two to four. While in 75 per cent of the cases the disorder is self-limiting and overcome by the person, others would require some treatment.

Stammering is associated with intelligence as it implies a rush of ideas that a person is unable to communicate, said MERF managing director Mohan Kameswaran. Many stutterers develop facial contortions or mannerisms to distract the listener from the speech disorder. So early intervention is important as deep-seated habits take longer and more effort to correct, Dr. Kameswaran said.

The clinic is located at 15, P.S. Sivasami Salai, off Radhakrishna Salai, Chennai-04 (Ph: 24981973/76). It functions from 12.30 p.m. to 3 p.m. on all days except Sundays.

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