According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), stuttering is a speech disorder that affects roughly 3 million Americans. It happens most often in children aged 2 to 6 as they develop language skills. KDNK's Lucas Turner spoke with the President of The Stuttering Foundation Jane Fraser to learn more about this condition.
The majority of children who stutter outgrow the disorder, but about 25 percent continue to stutter into adulthood. Jane Fraser says people can get help for stuttering through differen t types of speech therapy.
One of the main factors in stuttering is family history and genetics. But Jane Fraser says new research points towards differences in how the left and right brain hemispheres communicate as a potential cause.
It takes 45,000 neuromuscular events per se cond to say a word. Jane says that this is why some researchers believe anything that would slow down transmission of information between the left and right side of the brain could have an affect on speech.
Famous examples of those who dealt with stuttering include Winston Churchill, actor James Earl Jones, and Hip Hop Artist Kendrick Lamar.
You can find more information on stuttering research, treatment options, and resources at the Stuttering Foundation’s Website.
