David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
The King's Speech: Stuttering
Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.
Tue, Mar 8th 2011
The movie The King's Speech brought this frustrating communication disorder a regular flow of speech is broken up in repetitions or perhaps letters are prolonged to the forefront of people?s minds. David Seidler who scripted the movie said during his acceptance speech, ?We have a voice. We have been heard.? More than 68 million people worldwide contend with stuttering and there is a tremendous amount of shame that comes with it. What do we need to know about stuttering?
Stuttering by no means is a sign that life will not go well. There are many famous people who have stuttered who have gone on to be very successful in what they do. A few of these people include Emily Blunt, James Earl Jones, John Stossel, Bill Walton, Mel Tillis, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Carly Simon, Annie Glenn, Nicholas Brendon, Ken Venturi, Bob Love, John Updike, and King George VI.
The fact is, there is no instant cure for stuttering and scientists are really still trying to map out the root cause of it. A recent study found that there is an intensity of grey matter in the brain in the areas processing and producing speech in people who stutter than in those who don?t. However, that is just a correlation, meaning it doesn?t tell us of any cause.
Throughout history there have been all kinds of notions as to what causes stuttering from dryness of the tongue, to too large of a tongue, to a stiff tongue, to parental neglect, to sexual urges for oral sex. But the truth is, we don?t really know the root cause. In the old days they would wrap your tongue in a cloth coated with lettuce juice or wine, but there?s not any evidence of that helping.
Psychologists consider reasons connected to genetics (60% of those who stutter have a family member who stutters), to brain processing issues, to anxiety connected with a families high expectations in today?s fast paced world.
The truth is right now, the best treatment for stuttering whether it is for a child or an adult is getting connected with speech therapy. Finding a speech therapist is similar to finding a therapist, where you want to have a good connection with the person, find out what the goals of treatment are, how long it might take, and what the cost is.
The Speech Foundation has a referral list that is good to check out.
Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.
Tue, Mar 8th 2011
The movie The King's Speech brought this frustrating communication disorder a regular flow of speech is broken up in repetitions or perhaps letters are prolonged to the forefront of people?s minds. David Seidler who scripted the movie said during his acceptance speech, ?We have a voice. We have been heard.? More than 68 million people worldwide contend with stuttering and there is a tremendous amount of shame that comes with it. What do we need to know about stuttering?
Stuttering by no means is a sign that life will not go well. There are many famous people who have stuttered who have gone on to be very successful in what they do. A few of these people include Emily Blunt, James Earl Jones, John Stossel, Bill Walton, Mel Tillis, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Carly Simon, Annie Glenn, Nicholas Brendon, Ken Venturi, Bob Love, John Updike, and King George VI.
The fact is, there is no instant cure for stuttering and scientists are really still trying to map out the root cause of it. A recent study found that there is an intensity of grey matter in the brain in the areas processing and producing speech in people who stutter than in those who don?t. However, that is just a correlation, meaning it doesn?t tell us of any cause.
Throughout history there have been all kinds of notions as to what causes stuttering from dryness of the tongue, to too large of a tongue, to a stiff tongue, to parental neglect, to sexual urges for oral sex. But the truth is, we don?t really know the root cause. In the old days they would wrap your tongue in a cloth coated with lettuce juice or wine, but there?s not any evidence of that helping.
Psychologists consider reasons connected to genetics (60% of those who stutter have a family member who stutters), to brain processing issues, to anxiety connected with a families high expectations in today?s fast paced world.
The truth is right now, the best treatment for stuttering whether it is for a child or an adult is getting connected with speech therapy. Finding a speech therapist is similar to finding a therapist, where you want to have a good connection with the person, find out what the goals of treatment are, how long it might take, and what the cost is.
The Speech Foundation has a referral list that is good to check out.
