Stuttering is a genetically-influenced condition: most of the time, if there is one person in a family who stutters, there will be another person in the family who also stutters.

Stuttering usually begins in childhood, between the ages of 2 and 5 years.

When people stutter, they might feel like they have lost control of their speech mechanism.

Forcing a left-handed child to become right-handed causes stuttering.

People who stutter often try to avoid stuttering, perhaps by trying to speak quickly, by forcing through moments of stuttering, or by not speaking at all when they fear that they might stutter.

Stuttering is more common among males than females. In adults, the male-to-female ratio is about 4 to 1; in children, it is closer to 2 to 1.

About 1% of the world’s population stutters.

Stuttering is associated with differences in the brain; it is not just a behavior that children learn or pick up from listening to other people who stutter.

Stuttering is caused by bad parenting.

People stutter because they are nervous.

People who stutter are less intelligent or capable.

Stuttering can begin gradually and develop over time, or it can appear suddenly.

Children who stutter are imitating a stuttering parent or relative.