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J "Defectologiya", 2000, #1, pp 18 - 23, "ShkolaPress", Moscow, Russia.
The main risk factors for the stuttering onset.
Nabieva T.N.
Brain Institute of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, 105064, per. Obukha 5, Moscow, Russia.
Multiple investigations were carried out for establishing the reasons of stuttering at physiological, psychological and genetic levels. The present study directed to revealing the risk factors for stuttering origin. Prerequisites, conditions and events preceding stuttering onset were analyzed on 60 patients. Case histories were examined and patients' relatives were interrogated. Two risk groups were revealed for the stuttering origin. The first, less numerous (25%) group, consisted essentially of healthy children without birth trauma and severe physical diseases who had close contact with stuttering relatives in the period of speech formation. They began to stutter gradually, imitating speech manner of a stuttering relative. The second risk group (75%) included persons with birth trauma - asphyxia neonatorum - and patients who took antibiotics during the first life year. Due to sensitivity and fearfulness of children who endured perinatal asphyxia, some occurrences and events went over the threshold and evoked stress and initiation of stuttering. There is no direct evidence for further supposition, but it is very likely that a systemic intake of antibiotics before speech formation period is a risk factor for stuttering origin. Our observations and experience suggests that taking a considerable amount of antibiotics within the first year of life increases the probability of stuttering origin, even without provoking stress. Usually, a child starts to stutter gradually, at the end of the intake period of antibiotics or during the 2 weeks after such intake. Combination of risk factors: taking antibiotics during first life year and having shock accidents at the speech formation period in children with perinatal asphyxia in anamnesis - makes the development of stuttering almost inevitable. Finally, we distinguish three main risk factors for stuttering origin: stuttering in family, asphyxia neonatorum, and the intake of antibiotics in early childhood. These three factors alone or in combination can provoke stuttering onset.
Key words: stuttering, asphyxia neonatorum, antibiotics.
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