Stuttering Among Children

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Many factors have been proposed for the root cause of stuttering. However, one’s emotional makeup cannot be overlooked. “Stuttering, as it continues, can impact a child’s academic, emotional, social and vocational potential and development,” explains Vanderbilt University psychologist Tedra Walden. “Therefore, if we know more about how emotions influence stuttering and then use this information to more effectively treat early childhood stuttering, we should be in a better position to decrease the long-term negative effects of stuttering in children as they get older,” she added.

A study published in the Journal of Communication Disorders in June 2006 found that emotional development is linked to childhood stuttering. To complete the study, researchers had parents of 3-to-5-year-olds fill out a 100-question survey to determine how the stuttering related to the child’s response to emotional events. Researchers found that those who stutter are more emotionally aroused by stressful situations, take longer to settle down from stimulating events and are less able to control their attention than people who do not stutter. “Our findings seem to indicate that kids with behavioral and emotional issues are at greater risk of stuttering, that not all aspects of their emotional reactions can be blamed on stuttering, and some of these reactions may pre-date the onset of stuttering and actually contribute to its onset and development,” concludes study co-author Tedra Walden.

What puzzles scientists is that there seems to be no real biological cause for stuttering in children. They have noted that there is increased dopamine activity in the prefrontal cortex in a person who stutters, although the actual structure of the brain looks the same as anyone else’s. Some Positron Emission Test results show some changes in the brain where speech motor function is involved, but there is still no consensus as to which areas in the brain are active or inactive during stuttering.

Despite recent studies, there is some disagreement as to whether stuttering in children is caused by anxiety or not. Some scientists say there are no heightened cortisol levels or other quantifiable results to suggest that kids who have a problem stutter also suffer from emotional damage. For instance, there seems to be no increased brain scan activity in the stress-related areas and no overproduction of stress hormones like cortisol. However, parents have indicated on questionnaires that factors like stress, fatigue and nervousness contribute to stuttering.

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