Recently, I became somewhat concerned as my formerly flawlessly articulate three-year-old daughter began to stammer whenever she tried to talk. It was a very sudden onset that is still occurring, and I wondered if this was the first sign of a serious problem that she would have to work to overcome. Off to the Internet I went.
Stuttering generally manifests as repetition of sounds when trying to form words. My daughter saying "d-d-d-daddy" for example, or pauses in speech where no words can be formed. No one really knows what the cause is. Everything from genetics to an anxiety disorder has been hypothesized, and even though speech therapies can be quite helpful there is no absolute cure. Over 3 million Americans alone suffer from the condition.
In 1998, domestic and international organizations dedicating to raising awareness for stuttering by founding International Stuttering Awareness Day. Every October 22, people from across the world are encouraged to learn more about stuttering, and their website has been very helpful and calming to this concerned father.
Also calming was a list I came across of famous rock stars who suffered from stuttering but still went on to illustrious careers. This week we dedicated a playlist to them.
I support
