It was once widely accepted that parenting styles, namely neglectful ones, resulted in stuttering. Now the Children’s Hospital in Westmead, Australia says this is not the case. Many myths exist that try to explain the cause. Therapists from the Stuttering Foundation hope to dispel some of those once widely held beliefs about stuttering. For one, speech disfluencies cannot be “caught” by observing and mirroring the behavior of someone who stutters. Additionally, stress does not act as a cause for the disorder, but it can certainly aggravate it (Hood, 2008). Researchers from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute also say that stuttering is not linked to any developmental problems. In their study, preschoolers who stutter tend to have above average language skills and are testing out both languages (Paddock, 2013). Additionally, there are some who claim that stuttering stems from the child’s environment and that traumatic events trigger symptoms such as anxiety and stuttering. Although these complex factors have not and cannot be ruled out, there have been break through studies conducted that suggest children may be predisposed to stuttering even in the womb. While environmental factors seem to exacerbate the condition, genetics and heredity seem to be the underlying cause of
It was once widely accepted that parenting styles, namely neglectful ones, resulted in stuttering. Now the Children’s Hospital in Westmead, Australia says this is not the case. Many myths exist that try to explain the cause. Therapists from the Stuttering Foundation hope to dispel some of those once widely held beliefs about stuttering. For one, speech disfluencies cannot be “caught” by observing and mirroring the behavior of someone who stutters. Additionally, stress does not act as a cause for the disorder, but it can certainly aggravate it (Hood, 2008). Researchers from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute also say that stuttering is not linked to any developmental problems. In their study, preschoolers who stutter tend to have above average language skills and are testing out both languages (Paddock, 2013). Additionally, there are some who claim that stuttering stems from the child’s environment and that traumatic events trigger symptoms such as anxiety and stuttering. Although these complex factors have not and cannot be ruled out, there have been break through studies conducted that suggest children may be predisposed to stuttering even in the womb. While environmental factors seem to exacerbate the condition, genetics and heredity seem to be the underlying cause of