Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder characterized by the involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words and phrases along with involuntary silent pauses and blocks where the involved party is unable to produce sounds. The exact etiology, or causes, of stuttering are not known it is believed that both genetics and neurophysiology are believed to contribute to this problem. Although there are no actual known cures at this time, there are many effective therapies available that will help stutterers to control their problems.