Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Bellsie on 03/02/2009 20:30:03
-
Lucy Kirby asked the Naked Scientists:
Does stammering have a neurological explanation and is there any research being done on it? I stammer and so does my dad, so I was wondering if there was a genetic link?
What do you think?
-
More on that why do people stutter in the first place?
Although the exact cause of stuttering is not known, there are three leading theories that propose how stuttering develops. The learning theory proposes that stuttering is a learned behavior and that most normal children are occasionally disfluent (i.e. speaking rapidly, searching for the right words, etc.) when at the age at which speech and language develop. If a child is criticized or punished for this, he or she may develop anxiety about the disfluencies, causing increased stuttering and increased anxiety.
The second theory suggests that stuttering is a psychological problem-that stuttering is an underlying problem that can be treated with psychotherapy.
The third theory proposes that the cause of stuttering is organic, that neurological differences exist between the brains of those who stutter and those who don't. Although the interference with speech is sometimes triggered by emotional or situational factors, stuttering is basically neurological and physiological – not psychological - in nature. In all other respects, persons who stutter are perfectly normal.
http://neurology.health-cares.net/stuttering-causes.php
-
Tourette syndrome (TS) is an inherited disorder that affects an estimated one in 500 Americans. Males are affected three to four times as often as females. Symptoms usually appear between the ages of four and eight, but in rare cases may emerge in the late teenage years. The symptoms include motor and vocal tics—repetitive, involuntary movements or utterances that are rapid and sudden and persist for more than one year.
Does this sound like you?