Educating Parents About Warning Signs, Early Intervention Key To Helping Children Who Stutter

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (May 7, 2012) — The Stuttering Foundation, www.StutteringHelp.org, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), www.asha.org, are working together during National Stuttering Awareness Week (May 7–13) to raise awareness with parents and other caregivers about the warning signs of stuttering and the need for early intervention for a child who stutters.

Often, children stutter when learning to talk, typically between 2 and 5 years old. During this age, as a child is in the midst of a major leap in language skills, it is natural that a child may have difficulty with fluency because speech and language, thinking, and motor skills are still developing. However, most children stop stuttering after a short period of time.

One or more signs may indicate stuttering may continue: the child may

- repeat parts of words, like “W-W-W-Where are you going?"

- prolong or hold a sound too long, like “SSSSave me a seat”

- appear very tense or "out of breath" when talking

- speak in an uneven rhythm when repeating sounds, like b-b---b---baby

- open their mouth to speak, but nothing comes out

- use filler words, like “uh,” “um,” or “you know”

Children may be at a higher risk for stuttering if one or more of the following is true; they

- have relatives who stutter (approximately 60% of those who stutter have a family member who stutters also)

- have been stuttering longer than 12 months

- began to stutter after age 3½ years

- have other speech or language problems

- are male. (Stuttering is more common among males than females. Among elementary school-age children, it is estimated that boys are three to four times more likely to stutter than girls)

“Early intervention is a must when it comes to stuttering,” states Jane Fraser, President of the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation.

"If you are concerned about your child's speech, consult with a speech-language pathologist (SLP),” ASHA President Shelly Chabon PhD, CCC-SLP says. “SLPs evaluate children to determine how well they say sounds and use words. SLPs then work with the children to help them say words and sentences without stuttering."

For free information on stuttering, contact the Stuttering Foundation at (800) 992-9392 or ASHA at (800) 638-TALK (8255). You may also visit www.StutteringHelp.org or www.asha.org.

About the Stuttering Foundation
The Stuttering Foundation, www.StutteringHelp.org, provides resources, services, and support to those who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering. It provides education, training, and information to professionals, children and adults who stutter; parents, teachers, and all those concerned about stuttering; and is a valuable resource for speech-language pathologists working in the schools with children of all ages.

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
ASHA, www.asha.org, is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for more than 150,000 audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists identify, assess, and treat speech and language problems including swallowing disorders.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Winston Churchill

Seeking to "remove Winston Churchill's stutter by second guessing the diagnosis" indicates neither a truthful retelling of history nor an informed opinion about a complex speech disorder, say experts in the field of speech-language pathology.

Recent news reports that quote Dr. John Mather, a Washington physician, as saying that Churchill's stutter "is a lie" brought adamant critical response from specialists in the field of stuttering and fluency disorders.

Bob Love

Bob Love has dreamt about being a great public speaker since his early days in Bastrop Louisiana, even though, as a young man, he could barely put two words together, let alone speak a full sentence.

In spite of his severe stuttering disability, Bob Love, the son of a sharecropper, rose to become a Chicago Bulls NBA superstar, whose records were eventually surpassed by Michael Jordan. Throughout his entire athletic career, Bob Love kept his stuttering a secret from the fans who adored him, thinking he could do his “talking” on the basketball court.

Emily Blunt

Actress Emily Blunt struggled with stuttering early in her life. A teacher encouraged her to act in a school play at age 12 despite her stuttering.

Blunt’s name is prominently featured on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter.

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.