What Is Tonic Stuttering?

Previously attributed to psychological and emotional causes, stuttering is a speech disorder most likely caused by any of four factors: genetics, childhood development issues, brain physiology and domestic influences. There is debate about whether subtypes of stuttering exist, says The Stuttering Foundation.

Stuttering

• Sometimes called stammering, this communication defect manifests as a repetition of parts of words --- often the beginning --- or hesitation between words.

Tonic vs. Clonic Stuttering

• Pauses or hesitations between words are called tonic stuttering, where the person appears to be struggling to form the word he wishes to say. It is similar to a tonic spasm, which is prolonged and considered fairly set in its intensity. Clonic stuttering is the repetition of letters or sounds within words. Clonic spasms are quick and repeated, presenting in an on-off manner, according to bookrags.com.

Treatment

• Although no miracle cure for stuttering exists, there are methods that have proven successful at improving fluency in sufferers. Therapy, drugs and electronic devices have helped some overcome the speech condition, says The Stuttering Foundation, but they are not an overnight process.