Stuttering FAQ v.3.22

Archive-name: support/stuttering
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2002/5/5
Version: 3.22
URL: http://www.casafuturatech.com/Book/faq.html

Stuttering Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ)

The author of the Stuttering FAQ, Thomas David Kehoe, is author of the book
http://www.casafuturatech.com/Book/book_toc.html Stuttering: Science,
Therapy & Practice (ISBN 0-9657181-0-7), which provides more information on
all topics in this FAQ.

The latest version of the Stuttering FAQ is available at
http://www.casafuturatech.com/Book/faq.html

This document is posted monthly on alt.support.stuttering, ,
.

A German translation of this FAQ is available at:
http://www.hsp.de/bvss/faq_g.html

Stuttering FAQ  (c) 2002 Thomas David Kehoe  kehoe@casafuturatech.com
All rights reserved.  No part of this document may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without written permission of the copyright owner, except where permitted by
law.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

STUTTERING SCIENCE
Does stuttering have a physical or psychological cause?

What percentage of adults stutter?  How common is stuttering in children?
Do more men than women stutter?

Is there a genetic basis for stuttering?  Does stuttering run in families?

Do stutterers have neurological abnormalities?  What have brain scan studies
found?

Do stutterers' beliefs and attitudes affect their speech?  Should stutterers
change how they think about themselves?

How does stress affect stuttering?  Does distraction work?

Why can stutterers talk fluently in some situations?  What are these
situations?

Are there other disorders similar to stuttering?

CHILDHOOD STUTTERING
"My child is having trouble talking.  Is he stuttering, or is it just normal
childhood disfluencies?"

Should parents take a child to a speech pathologist right away, or wait and
see if the child outgrows stuttering?

Where can parents find a qualified speech pathologist?

What kind of stuttering therapy is done with pre-schoolers?  Can parents get
involved?

What's the most effective treatment for school-age stuttering?

"My teenager has had stuttering therapy since kindergarten.  He's fluent in
the speech pathologist's office, but stutters elsewhere.  He's not making
progress and wants to discontinue therapy.  He's withdrawing from his peers.
What can we do?"

ADULT STUTTERING
What are the traditional therapies for adult stuttering?

How effective are traditional stuttering therapies?

Are there drugs for stuttering?

Are there computers or other electronic devices to help stutterers?

Are there new stuttering therapies?

Do insurance companies or other third-parties pay for stuttering therapy?

RESOURCES FOR STUTTERING
Are there any celebrities who stutter?  How did they overcome stuttering?

How does stuttering affect employment?  Should stutterers talk about their
speech in job interviews?

What should listeners do when talking with a stutterer?

Are there support groups for stutterers?

Where can I find a stuttering penpal?

Are there websites about stuttering?

Are there chat rooms or e-mail discussion groups about stuttering?

Are there books and magazines about stuttering?



STUTTERING SCIENCE
------------------------------

Subject: Does stuttering have a physical or psychological cause?
 
There's nothing wrong with stutterers' tongues or vocal folds or breathing.
Stutterers are not more nervous, do not have worse self-esteem, and are not
"schizo," as some movies have portrayed stutterers.

Stuttering is a developmental disorder.  Some experts believe that
stuttering develops from the normal mistakes all children make when learning
to talk ("normal disfluencies").  While most children can pick themselves up
after a stumble, some children get into a vicious cycle of trying harder to
talk, tensing their speech-production muscles too much, and getting more
stuck.

Other experts have found that severe stuttering can develop almost overnight
in young children.  They believe that stuttering may not develop gradually
from normal disfluencies.  Genes have been found associated with stuttering,
so these experts believe that a genetic defect causes something in the
child's brain to trigger stuttering.

Although the origin of stuttering is not clear, everyone agrees that
childhood stuttering can develop into a severe physical and psychological
disability.  Adults who stutter can have physical symptoms, including:

- Breathing abnormalities during stuttering, especially upper chest tension.

- Laryngeal blocks, which cut off airflow during stuttering.

- Articulation problems, including tension in the lips, jaw and tongue, and
prolonged or repeated sounds.

- Secondary or "escape" behaviors, such as head jerks, eye blinking, or
facial grimaces.

- Neurological abnormalities visible via brain scans.

Adult stuttering psychological symptoms can include:

- Avoidance of feared sounds, words, and speaking situations.  For example,
the stutterer may avoid making telephone calls.

- Substitution of another word.

- "Anti-expectancy" speech behaviors to prevent stuttering such as speaking
in a monotone, or affecting an accent.

Some stutterers are so good at avoidance that their co-workers and even
their spouse or family doesn't know that the individual stutters.  Even
though their speech sounds fine, these "covert" stutterers can be crippled
by severe psychological fear and anxiety.

For more information see the following chapters in
http://www.casafuturatech.com/Book/book_toc.html
Stuttering: Science, Therapy & Practice:

   Definition of Stuttering
   Symptoms of Stuttering

The Stuttering FAQ is part of the Stuttering Science & Therapy Website
(http://www.casafuturatech.com/).