CONTACT: Julie Toland, [email protected] (806) 743-2160
TTUHSC LAUNCHING SUPPORT GROUP TO HELP STUTTERERS
LUBBOCK -- In conjunction with International Stuttering Awareness Day October 22, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is creating a support network to help South Plains residents learn more about stuttering.
The Lubbock Stuttering Support Group will host its first monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, in Room 2A300 at TTUHSC, 3601 4th St.
Judith Keller, instructor and clinical coordinator for TTUHSC's Department of Communication Disorders, is organizing the support group for stutterers, parents and others interested in gaining more knowledge about the disorder.
Keller noted that more than 3 million Americans -- including James Earl Jones, Bruce Willis and Carly Simon -- stutter. "About 5 percent of the population has stuttered at some point in their lives," she said. "And for about 1 percent, the problem persists into adulthood."
Keller said a prevalent myth about stutterers is that they are not as intelligent as non-stutterers. "Another misconception is that we should help them out, or finish the statement for them if they are having trouble," she said. "But it is best to listen to the content of what they are saying rather than the disfluencies."
Keller pointed out that all children go through periods of disfluency as a normal part of development, and that it usually is nothing to be concerned with. However, signs of a more pronounced problem might include multiple repetitions, tremors, struggle and tension, break in eye contact or a rise in pitch.
When in doubt, a speech-language pathologist can work with children and parents to help correct the problem. "Parents need to be part of the treatment process," Keller said. "We encourage them to use a slower and smoother rate of speech, and especially to listen to the child. In addition, parents should match their level of language to the child's and decrease the number of questions."
The earlier the identification of a problem, the better, Keller said, noting the ideal age for treatment is 3 or 4 years old.
While the cause of stuttering is ambiguous, Keller said, brain mapping techniques and genetics would play a role in learning more about stuttering in the future. One theory is that in stutterers, language function may be occurring in the right side of the brain rather than the left side. Most people use the left side of the brain for language production and processing.
For people who stutter, Keller continued, using the right side of the brain may cause 'glitches' in the form of stutters because it is not well adapted to language. And stuttering may increase when the right side of the brain has to handle more than one task at a time.
She emphasized that stress, traumatic events and parental pressure do not cause stuttering. "Parents who place high demands on a child's speech by asking many questions or talking rapidly can exacerbate the problem, but it is not the cause of their stuttering."
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