King's Speech gets the royal treatment
![alt text](/sites/default/files/Migrate/King_on_timesquare_nov2010.jpg)
The Stuttering Foundation is featured on Times Square in New York City.
International Stuttering Association
World congress
unites groups
Fraser honored in medieval setting
Mark Irwin
Q & A With Parents
Please e-mail your questions to info@stutteringhelp.org
Counseling Parents
Counseling Parents of a Child with Normal Disfluencies
If a child appears to be normally disfluent, parents should be reassured that these disfluencies are like the mistakes every child makes when he or she is learning any new skill, like walking, writing, or bicycling. Parents should be advised to accept the disfluencies without any discernable reaction or comment.
Eliminating Stereotypes About Stuttering
- People who stutter are as intelligent and well-adjusted as non-stutterers.
- Don't assume that people who stutter are prone to be nervous, anxious, fearful, or shy. While stuttering behaviors may sometimes resemble the behaviors of non-stutterers who experience these emotions, people who stutter exhibit the same full range of personality traits as those who do not.
- Stuttering is not the result of emotional conflict or fearfulness.
Etiology
Although the etiology of stuttering is not fully understood, there is strong evidence to suggest that it emerges from a combination of constitutional and environmental factors. Geneticists have found indications that a susceptibility to stuttering may be inherited and that it is most likely to occur in boys.1,2,3 Further support for inheritance comes from twin studies that have demonstrated a higher concordance for stuttering among both members of identical twin pairs than fraternal twin pairs.4,5 Congenital brain damage is also suspected to be a predisposing factor in some cases.1 For a large number of children who stutter, however, there is neither family history of the disorder nor clear evidence of brain damage.
Finding Help for Stuttering
Newly discovered families give impetus to genetics research
by Lisa Scott-Trautman, Ph.D.
Q: How can you tell if your child has a stuttering problem?
Resources for Teachers
We have compiled a list of resources on stuttering therapy, teasing, and building self-esteem in children. The list includes resources for children, parents, teachers, and speech-language pathologists. You may also call the Stuttering Foundation at 800-992-9392 for a list of support groups.
Ordering information:
Help For Stuttering
If you stutter, who can help you?
Lewis Carrol suffered from stuttering
The recent Disney version of Lewis Carroll's classic, Alice in Wonderland, garnered a great deal of media hype. Even though the mainstream media has not made mention that Carroll was a person who stuttered, his family history gives credence to the discovery of the genetic link to stuttering.
Library Resources - Link to PDF
Library Resources
SFA publications are provided free of any charges to public libraries.
If your local library doesn't have our newest materials, please give them a library request card. Click here to download it.
See what one Indiana library is doing to help those who stutter.
2010 FAME Essay Winner
My Disability Lesson
By Andrew Feese
2010 FAME Essay Winner
This is a new age for people who are disabled. There are electronic aides, there are therapists, and there are exceptions.
Palm Desert Golf Benefit
Palm Desert Golf Event Benefits
Memphis-Based Stuttering Foundation
Golfers gathered April 22-24 to play with golf greats Al Geiberger (Mr. 59) and special honoree Ken Venturi, former U.S. Open Champion and CBS commentator for 35 years.
The Mr. 59 Invitational is held each year to commemorate the extremely low score of 59 shot by Al Geiberge "the first 59 shot in an official PGA Tour event" at the 1977 Danny Thomas-Memphis Classic in Memphis.
FAQ's for Parents
What should I do when my child stutters?
The most important thing to do when someone is stuttering is be a good communicator yourself.
What makes you stutter?
Everyone is different. Your best friend may be better at math than you are. And maybe you're better than he is at art. Maybe another one of your friends is good at sports and can run really fast. Everyone is good at different things.
About Us
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.
Brain Development in Children Who Stutter
by Soo-Eun Chang, Ph.D. (Winter 2011)
Feedforward Strategy In Children
by Rick Arenas, M.A. (Fall 2010)
Genetic Causes
MEMPHIS, Tenn. ' The mystery behind a complex disorder called stuttering became a little clearer today with the announcement of the discovery of three genes for stuttering by Dennis Drayna, Ph.D., a director of the Stuttering Foundation and researcher for the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.