“There have been many myths surrounding the nature or origin of stuttering. And as with any foreign concept, these beliefs have spread,” writes Marie-Claude Monfrais-Pfauwadel in her book Bégaiement, bégaiements : un manuel clinique et thérapeutique. We could not have explained it better: many stereotypes about stuttering need to be dismantled, first because they undermine the people who stutter who are eager to learn to accept themselves and to better manage their condition, but also because they deprive society of the richness of another’s differences.
Here are some of the most persistent stereotypes:
Stuttering is caused by childhood trauma.
FALSE: Epidemiology has clearly shown that people who stutter have not experienced more childhood trauma than people who do not stutter.
Stuttering is caused by stress.
FALSE: Stress does not cause stuttering, although in some cases, it can modulate or accentuate it.
People who stutter are less intelligent than others.
FALSE: There’s no connection whatsoever between intelligence and stuttering.
Stuttering can be resolved easily with therapy.
FALSE: For the most part, speech-language pathologists agree that persistent developmental stuttering (i.e., stuttering that began in childhood and continues into adulthood) can never go away completely. However, certain techniques can improve fluency and help the person be more comfortable with their speech. Essentially, in the case of persistent developmental stuttering, therapy should not be viewed as a way to eradicate stuttering, but rather to develop effective strategies to improve the person’s communicational abilities and well-being.