11 Facts about Stuttering

1. About 68 million people, or 1% of the worldwide population, stutter.
2. Presently an estimated 3 million Americans stutter.
   Almost four times as many teenage boys suffer from stuttering than teenage girls.
3. Some 20% of children go through a stage of development during which they stutter.
4. Approximately 5% of all children go through a period of stuttering that lasts six months or more. 75% will recover by late childhood, but a handful are left with a long-term problem.
5. Stuttering can involve repetition, prolonged sound, or involuntary pauses in speech.
6. Stuttering does not mean someone is less intelligent than their peers.
7. The condition is not caused by stress, though it can be increased by stress.
8. Stuttering doesn’t mean a person has social anxiety, though sometimes it can develop from others’ constant negative reactions.
9. Experts think stuttering is genetic.
10. Stuttering can be treated and improved by using a speech-language pathologist.
11. Stuttering can decrease through activities like singing.

Sources:

The Stuttering Foundation

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association