What Do You Know About Stuttering?
What do writer Lewis Carroll, former basketball star Bill Walton, and King George VI have in common? They were all stutterers at some point in their lives. Take this quiz to see how much you know about stuttering.
1. At least 3 million Americans stutter.
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a communication disorder.
2. Stuttering affects 2 to 3 times as many people assigned male at birth as it does
people assigned female at birth.
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
Experts don't know why this is so.
3. Despite decades of research, there are no clear-cut answers about what causes stuttering.
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
But much has been learned about the factors that contribute to the development of
stuttering. Genetics plays a part, because stuttering tends to run in families. Young
children who are pushed to speak and speak quickly also can develop a stutter. Parents
can take several steps to help a stutterer. The main step is to slow down when speaking.
Another way to help is to not bombard your child with questions. If you ask, "What
did you do at Johnnie's house?" that forces the child to come up with an answer quickly.
If you say, "You look like you had a good time at Johnnie's house," you give the child
time to think, without pressure, and come up with an answer. Reading to your child
can also help. And you don't have to read something complex for it to work. Simple
nursery rhymes teach language by making it fun.
4. People who stutter are self-conscious about their stuttering. They often let the
disability determine their career choice.
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
People who stutter often pick careers such as journalism or accounting that don't
require a lot of talking. But what really helps someone who stutters is therapy and
practice.
5. You won't find any quick miracle cures for stuttering.
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
There is no magic pill that will make stuttering go away in a day. But a speech-language
pathologist who specializes in stuttering can help. The amount of therapy and the
length of time needed to accomplish certain goals may vary with each person.
6. A quarter of all children go through a stage of speech development with severe
enough problems to concern their parents.
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
Many children occasionally repeat syllables or words once or twice, li-li-like this.
These speech differences are called dysfluencies. They may also include hesitancies
and using fillers such as "uh," "er," and "um." Experts say that these dysfluencies
occur most often between ages 18 months and 5 years. They also tend to come and go.
Just remember that these are often signs that a child is using language in new ways.
Experts are working to find the gene or genes responsible for stuttering. Once that's
done, a child who stutters may be able to have a simple blood test to see if they
carry the marker for stuttering. If so, that child could then go into therapy right
away. A child without the marker would outgrow their speech problem over time without
therapy.
7. Stuttering becomes more of a problem as a child becomes a teen.
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
Teens are starting to date and interact socially. Problems with stuttering can make
this time hard for them.
8. Famous people who stutter have included Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Mel
Tillis, Carly Simon, James Earl Jones, and John Updike.
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
All of these people and many others went on to lead successful lives.
9. If you want to find therapy for your child with a stuttering problem, it's best
to look for a speech-language pathologist who specializes in stuttering.
You didn't answer this question.
You answered
The correct answer is
One way to find such a professional is to visit the Stuttering Foundation website
at www.stutteringhelp.org. Or you may contact a nearby university or hospital clinic for a referral. You should
look for a speech-language pathologist who has a Certificate of Clinical Competence
from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Your score was:
Medical Reviewers:
- Jothi, Sumana, MD
- Sinovic, Dianna
- Turley, Raymond Kent, BSN, MSN, RN