  |
|
|
|
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have found direct links between stuttering and emotionally sensitive individuals. This may lead to treatment in a new direction.
What Is Stuttering?Stuttering is the inability to speak without hestitation, repeating words or phrases, and long pauses before saying a word. Someone with this disorder would probably begin showing signs prior to going to school. How Many Stutter?Presently, over 3 million Americans have this disorder which can be minor or quite debilitating. The common treatment is speech therapy and many children outgrow stuttering with few signs in adulthood. Who Is Likely To Stutter?Males are more likely to stutter than females. Four times as many males stutter than females. There is also a genetic component. Most people that stutter have a family member that also stutters. New ResearchSandra Boodman, writer for The Washington Post, reported on new information released by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN on stuttering. Parents and teachers do not cause stuttering. The cause is more likely to be neurological and genetic. In the past the main focus has been on speech mechanics and therapy. Little attention has been focused on emotions and how they relate to stuttering. A New HypothesisConture and Walden developed the hypothesis that children who stutter are more "reactive." To test this hypothesis they developed a questionnaire for two groups of parents. One group of 65 parents had children that stuttered between ages of 2 and 5. The other group of 56 parents had children who did not stutter. Both were given the same inventory to complete. The ResultsAfter the answers were evaluated, three areas were found to have significance in children that stuttered:
Conclusion: Children who stutter are more emotional and less likely to control those emotions. Good Times and BadResearch also shows that children that seem to be recovering from stuttering can again stutter when under stress. The stress can be from a negative situation or a positive one. A child may begin stuttering after losing a pet or at a birthday party in their honor. Emotions in either category may trigger stuttering. Children that are emotional and react strongly to everyday situations are more likely to stutter. Now, that this has been uncovered, research may go in a different direction to help children that stutter. Plans are in place at Vanderbilt University for future research incorporating brain wave monitoring and more parent input. Related articles: Bullying: What Is It?, The Drugging of our Kids, Boys Leg Behind Girls, Read previous articles on Educational Issues. Copyright article 2006 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
The copyright of the article Stuttering: New Research in Educational Issues is owned by Barbara Pytel. Permission to republish Stuttering: New Research in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
