The Facts

The Foundation is turning its attention more and more to various facets of basic research.

Brain Research
Neuroimaging studies have greatly enhanced the potential to understand brain-behavior relationships in complex behaviors such as speech and Click to enlarge; DblClick to restore language. A recent study by Dr. Anne Foundas, M.D., Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University, revealed the first evidence that anatomic anomalies may put an individual at risk for the development of stuttering. Research efforts are expanding which should provide information to develop targeted behavioral and pharmacological interventions, and may lead to earlier detection of individuals at risk for developmental stuttering, according to Dr. Foundas. The Foundation is promoting this research in various ways.

Genetic Research
Finding the genes involved in stuttering and understanding what they do Click to enlarge; DblClick to restore in people who stutter and in those who are normally fluent holds the promise of revealing some of the underlying causes of stuttering. From this, researchers hope to be able to develop better therapies for those who stutter. The Foundation is actively involved in a project directed by Dr. Dennis Drayna of the National Institute on Deafness and other Communicative Disorders searching for genetic markers associated with stuttering. "Knowing the location of these genes is the first step toward finding the genes themselves which could provide major new insights into the causes of stuttering," Drayna says.

Basic Research Articles

The following articles may also be of interest:

Medical Aspects of Stuttering: A study with olanzapine.
Recent Developments Highlight Genetic Causes in Speech Disorders
Are the Brains of People Who Stutter Different? learning more about the biological basis of stuttering by Anne L. Foundas, MD
Genetic Research on Stuttering What is it? What will it tell us? How will it benefit people who stutter. An article by Dr. Dennis Drayna.
Neural Bases of Stuttering and its Treatment. An article by Robert Kroll and Luc F. De Nil.
Research Studies Interaction of Language and Motor Processing in Stuttering? by Anne Smith, Ph.D., Purdue University.
Research in Early Childhood Stuttering. by Ehud Yairi
A Study on using Alprazolam, Citalopram, and Clomipramine for Stuttering by Dr. John Paul Brady.

PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine, provides access to over 11 million citations from MEDLINE and additional life science journals. PubMed includes links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Jack Paar

While Jack Paar is among the most prominent of the entertainers on the Stuttering Foundation’s list of Famous People Who Stutter, he deserves special recognition as he was among the first to openly address his stuttering in public. As host of The Tonight Show from 1957-1962, he spoke of his difficulties as a stuttering child and teenager, giving hope to young people.

Dave Taylor

Dave Taylor has been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter for many years, but probably few people know all of the unique accomplishments of this former hockey great who was born on December 4, 1955, in Levack, Ontario.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, was well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones spoke some of the most memorable lines in the history of American film, but the man known for his voice was once afflicted with a severe stutter.

John Melendez

He is a talented musician, actor, and comedian. Listen to a podcast.

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.