There are several distinct symptoms that may indicate that a person has a stuttering disorder. Symptoms associated with stuttering may fluctuate from day to day or week to week.

Patients who stutter may repeat or extend syllables, words or phrases. It is common to repeat the first part of a word many times (e.g., “W-w-what’s going on?”), to hold a sound for a long period of time (e.g., “That’s a ba-a-a-a-d idea”), or to repeatedly use interjections such as “um” or “like.” The pitch of the voice may rise during these repetitions. Patients may experience halting speech and difficulty forming certain sounds. In addition, they may experience “blocks” where no airflow or voice is present for several seconds despite positioning the mouth as though to speak. Stuttering that includes blocks and more than two repetitions (e.g., “W-w-w-w-what’s going on?”) is more serious than stuttering that does not include these elements. However, this may still be regarded as mild.

Although these symptoms are often the result of a normal phase of development, parents should be concerned if their child stutters frequently (e.g., more than 10 percent of their speech), has stuttering that grows progressively worse, or stutters in association with unusual body movements, facial tics or tension.

Other signs of problem stuttering include:

• Excessive repetition of whole words and phrases
  
  
• Increased facial tension (particularly around the mouth) and tics during speech
  
  
• Growing tendency to prolong words
  
  
• Speech that appears increasingly strained or full of effort
  
  
• Speech that becomes louder or rises in pitch
  
  
• Tendency of the child to avoid situations that require talking

Children who stutter may be embarrassed about or ashamed of their disorder and may develop self-esteem issues. This may be exacerbated by teasing at the hands of friends and classmates. Patients who are embarrassed by their condition often compensate by speaking less and less.

People who stutter frequently find that their stuttering disappears while singing, or when they are alone and talk to themselves. Stuttering that persists into adolescence or adulthood is typically more stable than it was during childhood.