Famous People
Fact or Myth:
Elvis had a stutter
Fact!
Elvis had a stutter since early childhood and you can hear it on early recordings
Fact or Myth:
People stutter because they are nervous
Myth!
A stutter may cause someone to be nervous when speaking, but it is not the cause.
Fact or Myth:
Around 30 million people stutter worldwide
Myth!
Around 79 million people do!!
Fact of Myth:
Stuttering can begin gradually and develop over time, or it can appear suddenly
Fact!
Fact or Myth:
Ed Sheeran had a stutter
Fact!
He developed a childhood stutter and found that music helped his stuttering pattern
Fact or Myth:
Stuttering is caused by psychological factors.
Myth!
It is not caused by psychological factors, but those who stutter may have emotional factors caused by their disfluency.
Fact or Myth!
Stuttering usually begins in childhood, between the ages of 2 and 5 years.
Fact!
Fact or Myth:
Stuttering varies significantly over time.
Fact!
Sometimes, people will have periods in which the stuttering appears to go away, only to have it return.
Fact or Myth:
James Earl Jones had a stutter
Fact!
He had a severe stutter as a child and was not comfortable speaking in public. His teacher made him read poetry out loud and that's when he started overcoming his challenges!
Fact or Myth:
There is a direct known cause as to why people stutter
Myth!
While it is believed there is a genetic component to stuttering, researchers believe there is a variety of causes that are not fully understood yet
Fact or Myth:
Stuttering is more common among females than males
Myth!
Males are more likely to develop a stutter!
Fact or Myth:
Citizens of every nation and speakers of every language across the world stutter.
Fact!
Multilingual speakers who stutter will stutter in every language that they speak; however, stuttering may present differently in each language.
Fact or Myth:
Emily Blunt has a stutter
Fact!
Emily Blunt has stuttered since childhood and can usually be found presenting at the American Institute for Stuttering’s annual gala!
Stuttering happens because the person is talking too fast and needs to slow down.
Myth!
Stuttering is not a rate of speech issue
Fact or Myth:
3 million Americans stutter
Fact!
There is an instant cure to stuttering
Myth!
Therapy does not work over night, so it may take some time to notice any changes
Fact or Myth:
Sir Isaac Newton had a stutter
Fact!
He was a person who stuttered throughout his life
Fact or Myth:
Stress causes a stutter
Myth!
It doesn't cause a stutter, but it can make the stutter more prevalent
Fact or Myth:
60% of people who stutter have a family member that also stutters
Fact!
Fact or Myth:
People generally do not stutter when they sing, whisper, speak in chorus, or when they do not hear their own voice
Fact!
They do not know why this happens