Stuttering usually begins in childhood, between the ages of 2 and 5 years.
FACT
15
Stuttering can begin gradually and develop over time, or it can appear suddenly.
FACT
20
When people stutter, they might feel like they have lost control of their speech mechanism.
FACT
10
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.
FACT
20
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.
FACT
15
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.
FACT
10
About 1% of the world’s population stutters.
FACT
20
Stuttering varies significantly over time: Sometimes, people will have periods in which the stuttering appears to go away, only to have it return. This variability is normal.
FACT
20
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.
FACT. These behaviors can actually increase stuttering.
10
People stutter because they are nervous.
MYTH. While people who stutter may be nervous because they stutter, nervousness is not the cause.
20
Stuttering is caused by bad parenting.
MYTH. When a child stutters, it is not the parents’ fault. Stress in a child’s environment can increase stuttering, but is not the cause.
15
Children who stutter are imitating a stuttering parent or relative.
MYTH. Stuttering is not contagious. It may run in families, but the cause is due to genetics, not imitation.
10
Forcing a left-handed child to become right-handed causes stuttering.
MYTH. This was widely believed early in the 20th century but has been disproven in most studies since 1940.
20
Labeling a child as a stutterer results in chronic stuttering.
MYTH. This belief arises from a study that was discredited decades ago.
15
People who stutter are less intelligent or capable.
MYTH. People who stutter disprove this every day, achieving success in every profession imaginable (can you think of any?).
