For the next few weeks, I want to focus on stuttering, particularly how the disorder in children can be managed and approached, and how it can affect their lives if left untreated.
In the meantime, ASHA (as usual) has a good rundown:
“Stuttering affects the fluency of speech. It begins during childhood and, in some cases, lasts throughout life. The disorder is characterized by disruptions in the production of speech sounds, also called “disfluencies.” Most people produce brief disfluencies from time to time. For instance, some words are repeated and others are preceded by “um” or “uh.” Disfluencies are not necessarily a problem; however, they can impede communication when a person produces too many of them.”
The ASHA Leader also has a few good articles we could start off with.
From their In Search of Stuttering’s Genetic Code, discussing stuttering and genetics:
“Do you think all people who stutter do so because of genetics?
Clearly, no. Of all the people who present themselves for stuttering therapy, about half have a family history of stuttering disorder. So we think perhaps half of stuttering is due to genetic factors.”
And in the article, “Quick: Think Fast and Don’t Stutter!”, the Leader presents a case against school districts “use of a catch-all fluency measure without accommodations…”
There’s a lot to talk about with stuttering. Keep your eyes open over the next few weeks.