Stuttering (dysfluent speech) affects the social and emotional development of its victims. The family physician is often the first professional to encounter the stutterer and his family. The severity of stuttering is determined not only by the number of prolongations and hesitations, but also by the patient's fear of the dysfluent moment and, in turn, the creation of avoidance behaviors to hide the disability. The etiology remains unclear, but both biologic and psychologic factors are involved.
口吃（言语不流畅）会影响患者的社交和情感发展。家庭医生往往是最早接触口吃者及其家人的专业人员。口吃的严重程度不仅取决于语音延长和停顿的次数，还取决于患者对言语不流畅时刻的恐惧，进而产生隐藏残疾的回避行为。病因尚不清楚，但生物因素和心理因素都有涉及。
