October 22nd is Stuttering Awareness Day. Many people know someone who struggles with stuttering, and those people go through intensive speech therapy in order to get the stuttering under control. It is estimated that fifteen million people in the world stutter. Many children and adults in Fort Collins are faced each and every day with difficulty speaking. These people have fear, embarrassment, and may be left hopeless. What if there was another way at figuring out why these people stutter?
“Normal speech requires the brain to control movement of the mouth and vocal chords using the sound of the speaker’s own voice as a guide. This integration of movement and hearing typically happens in the brain’s left hemisphere, in a region of the brain known as the premotor cortex. In those who stutter, however, the process occurs in the right hemisphere—probably because of a slight defect on the left side, according to past brain-imaging studies” (quote originally posted at https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-stuttering-brain/)
These findings are interesting to note, because many times stuttering is thought of as a speech-related problem, when in fact it is a brain problem. There is a miscommunication with the connection between the brain and the mouth; there is a problem with the sensory integration of the two. For some reason, the nervous system is not communicating with the speech organs (mouth, tongue, lips) in a proper way and the person starts to stutter. Misalignments to the spine cause a problem with the flow of information from the brain to the body, and the body to the brain. By taking out the interference of the nervous system, the brain and body can work in proper unison again.
Although common for children to experience short-term stuttering, it is not “normal” if it is prolonged or is occurring after the age of five. Some common signs that your child is struggling are: repetitions of whole words, increased prolongation of words, increased facial tension while speaking, vocal tension, fear/avoidance of speaking, avoiding certain words for fear of stuttering. If you notice your child doing any of these behaviors, get them checked by a chiropractor. Chiropractic care works by improving the function of the nervous system. When children get adjusted, they calm down, slow down, rest and fully process information.
These findings are interesting to note, because many times stuttering is thought of as a speech-related problem, when in fact it is a brain problem. There is a miscommunication with the connection between the brain and the mouth; there is a problem with the sensory integration of the two. For some reason, the nervous system is not communicating with the speech organs (mouth, tongue, lips) in a proper way and the person starts to stutter. Misalignments to the spine cause a problem with the flow of information from the brain to the body, and the body to the brain. By taking out the interference of the nervous system, the brain and body can work in proper unison again.
Although common for children to experience short-term stuttering, it is not “normal” if it is prolonged or is occurring after the age of five. Some common signs that your child is struggling are: repetitions of whole words, increased prolongation of words, increased facial tension while speaking, vocal tension, fear/avoidance of speaking, avoiding certain words for fear of stuttering. If you notice your child doing any of these behaviors, get them checked by a chiropractor. Chiropractic care works by improving the function of the nervous system. When children get adjusted, they calm down, slow down, rest and fully process information.
