Stuttering Awareness

By Nurse Diane

In 2011 there was a movie that not only won four Academy Awards, One for Best Movie, Best Director, Best Male Actor and Original Screen Play, but also won another 76 awards and was nominated for 99.  This movie was The King's Speech.  It was the story how the King of England, King George VI had a speech impediment and how he worked with a therapist to correct his problem to become a more effective ruler.

King George was not the first ruler to have had a speech impediment; in fact this is a problem that runs in families.   Other Rulers include King Charles I, King James II, and even the current Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II.

Stuttering is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (lllllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak. Stuttering is also referred to as stammering.

There are four factors most likely to contribute to the development of stuttering: genetics (approximately 60% of those who stutter have a family member who does also); child development (children with other speech and language problems or developmental delays are more likely to stutter); neurophysiology (recent neurological research has shown that people who stutter process speech and language slightly differently than those who do not stutter); and family dynamics (high expectations and fast-paced lifestyles can contribute to stuttering). Stuttering may occur when a combination of factors comes together and may have different causes in different people. It is probable that what causes stuttering differs from what makes it continue or get worse.  A friend of mine fell from a chair with a spoon in his mouth at a young age.  This accident cause a large cut on his tongue, and that resulted a period of stuttering for him.  However, with the help of his family and sisters, he was able to overcome this problem.

There are no instant miracle cures for stuttering. Therapy, electronic devices, and even drugs are not an overnight process. However, a specialist in stuttering can help children but also teenagers, young adults and even older adults make significant progress toward fluency.

Approximately three million Americans stutter, some of the more recognized include:  James Earl Jones, Marylin Monroe, Bruce Willis, Mel Tillis, Tiger Woods, Vice President Joe Biden, Winston Churchill, Elvis Presley, Charles Dawin and Sir Isaac Newton to name a few.

This is National Stuttering Awareness Week.  To learn how you can help visit this site: http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4

(All images from Google) 

International Stuttering Awareness Day

(Google Image) 

By Nurse Diane

What do Moses, Tiger Woods, Marylin Monroe, Vice President Joe Biden, and James Earl Jones have in common?  They all stutter.  For a list of other famous stutterers, check here: http://www.stutteringhelp.org/famous-people-who-stutter.

(Google Image) 

Stuttering is a speech disorder that occurs when the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds.  Although the exact cause of stuttering is unknown, both genetics and neurophysiology are thought to contribute. There are many treatments and speech therapy techniques available that may help increase fluency in some stutterers to the point where an untrained ear cannot identify a problem; however, there is essentially no "cure" for the disorder at present, although many treatments are available.

October 22 was designated International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD) in 1998. The day is intended to raise the public awareness of the millions of people who have the speech disorder of stuttering, including over 60 million Americans.

(Google Image) 

ISAD is organized by four organizations:

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Special Interest Division #4, Fluency & Fluency Disorders
• European League of Stuttering Associations
• International Fluency Association
• International Stuttering Association

(Google Image) 

The Stuttering Foundation was started in 1947 by a young man who also suffered from stuttering.  This is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to help others who stutter.  They also set out to increase knowledge in the population about the effects of stuttering on a person's life, job, relationships and general well-being.  To learn more about this foundation, and ways you can help spread the word about stuttering, visit this site: http://www.stutteringhelp.org/brief-history .  

If you or someone you know has this problem, and is looking for help, this is a great place to start looking.

National Stuttering Awareness Week

(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest, RN

In 2011 there was a movie that not only won 4 Academy Awards, One for Best Movie, Best Director, Best Male Actor and Original Screen Play, but also won another 76 awards and was nominated for 99.  This movie was The King's Speech.  It was the story how the King of England, King George VI had a speech impediment and how he worked with a therapist to correct his problem to become a more effective ruler.

(Google Image) 

King George was not the first ruler to have had a speech impediment; in fact this is a problem that runs in families.   Other Rulers include King Charles I, King James II, and even the current Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II.

(Google Image) 

Stuttering is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (lllllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak. Stuttering is also referred to as stammering.

(Google Image) 

There are four factors most likely to contribute to the development of stuttering: genetics (approximately 60% of those who stutter have a family member who does also); child development (children with other speech and language problems or developmental delays are more likely to stutter); neurophysiology (recent neurological research has shown that people who stutter process speech and language slightly differently than those who do not stutter); and family dynamics (high expectations and fast-paced lifestyles can contribute to stuttering). Stuttering may occur when a combination of factors comes together and may have different causes in different people. It is probable that what causes stuttering differs from what makes it continue or get worse.  A friend of mine fell from a chair with a spoon in his mouth at a young age.  This accident cause a large cut on his tongue, and that resulted a period of stuttering for him.  However, with the help of his family and sisters, he was able to overcome this problem.

There are no instant miracle cures for stuttering. Therapy, electronic devices, and even drugs are not an overnight process. However, a specialist in stuttering can help not only children but also teenagers, young adults and even older adults make significant progress toward fluency.

(Google Image) 

Approximately 3 million Americans stutter, some of the more recognized include:  James Earl Jones, Marylin Monroe, Bruce Willis, Mel Tillis, Tiger Woods, Vice President Joe Biden, Winston Churchill, Elvis Presley, Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton to name a few.

This week in National Stuttering Awareness Week!  To learn how you can help visit this site: http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4

Stuttering Awareness Day

By Diane Forrest, RN

The other day I was reading an article on Yahoo about a college student in New Jersey who was told not to speak in class because he stuttered.  The student, who is 16 years old, was emailed by the professor and asked to save his questions for after class "so we do not infringe on other students' time."  She further went on to say "This way, you can express your ideas and knowledge completely and I will have a better understanding of what you know," Snyder's email went on to say. "You can give me the sheet after each class."

The matter could have been handled differently, the other students should have been advised to be more tolerant, and however, the 16 year old was transferred to another class, and was happy with the solution.  Comments posted on the article showed both sides of this issue.  The majority spoke to the fact that a 16 year old was taking college courses to begin with.  He was obviously an intelligent person who did not let his handicap interfere with his achievements.

Stuttering is a speech disorder in which sounds, syllables, or words are repeated or last longer than normal. These problems cause a break in the flow of speech (called dissiliency).

Stuttering tends to run in families. Genes that cause stuttering have been identified. There is also evidence that stuttering may be a result of some brain injuries, such as stroke or traumatic brain injuries.

Stuttering may rarely be caused by emotional trauma (called psychogenic stuttering). Stuttering is more common in boys than girls. It also tends to persist into adulthood more often in boys than in girls.

Drug therapy has not been successful in treating stuttering; in fact the only successful treatment is speech therapy.

There have been many famous and successful people who have overcome stuttering.  Some of them include:

• James Earl Jones
• Bruce Willis
• Anthony Hopkins
• Winston Churchill
• Moses
• Marilyn Monroe
• Julia Roberts
• Elvis Presley
• Mel Tillis
• Tiger Woods
• Vice President Joe Biden
• King George VI

There was a movies that was released recently called the King's Speech.  It told the story of King George VI (Queen Elizabeth's father) and his fight with overcoming his stuttering problem.  The movie won the Oscar for best picture of the year, along with many other awards.  This also helped to bring awareness to the problem of stuttering.  Today is Stuttering awareness day.  I hope you will take the time to become more aware of this problem, and be more patient with people who stutter.

For more information about stuttering, click here:  http://www.nsastutter.org/