What should I do when my child stutters?

The most important thing to do when someone is stuttering is be a good communicator yourself.

Stuttering. This often misunderstood disability affects over three million Americans. And despite decades of research, both basic and clinical, the causes are still largely unknown.

by Rick Arenas, M.A. (Fall 2010)

Stuttering may be the result of a glitch in the day-to-day process by which cellular components in key regions of the brain are broken down and recycled, says a study in the Feb. 10 Online First issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, led by researchers at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), part of the National Institutes of Health, has identified three genes as a source of stuttering in volunteers in Pakistan, the United States, and England. Mutations in two of the genes have already been implicated in other rare metabolic disorders also involved in cell recycling, while mutations in a third, closely related, gene have now been shown to be associated for the first time with a disorder in humans.

by Hayley S. Arnold, Ph.D., Purdue University (Fall 2009)

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by three primary symptoms: short and inconsistent attention span, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity. ADHD affects approximately 3%-7% of children in the United States with a male/female ratio of about 2 to 1.

by Anne L. Foundas, M.D., and Edward G. Conture, Ph.D. (Summer 2009)

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) include Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, and Asperger's Syndrome. All three are characterized by impairments in 1) social interaction, 2) communication, and 3) restricted interests/repetitive behaviors. Specific criteria distinguish one subgroup from another. ASDs are often first diagnosed in childhood, and intelligence ranges from below to above average. There is no definitive research regarding the cause of ASDs.

by Anne Smith, Ph.D. (Summer 2008)

An article about Dr. Jerome Kagan's seminar, The Nature of Human Temperament, by Lisa Scott, Ph.D. (Winter 2008)

by Anne L. Foundas, M.D. (Winter 2008)

It is well established that some stutters can experience spontaneous improvement in fluency when speaking in chorus or with song, a so called choral effect. We are of the belief that if technical intervention against stuttering or moderated speech is initiated while the brain is still plastic, before the age of 7 years, it may be possible to induce persistent fluency as the brain re-modulates to circumvent dysfunctional nerve tracts. This hypothesis is based on the brains significant potential for plastic change and logical deduction from the empirical treatment of astigmatism.