Study participant Frank shares his story. Growing up with a stutter Stuttering was a major challenge for me in my childhood. My main problem was with words beginning with certain letters. The two I remember were F and S. Whenever I was confronted with having to say such words, they just wouldn’t come out. I would get stuck on the first letter: F, F, F, F, F, F . . .   Given that my first name is Frank, I lived in perpetual fear throughout my formative years of being asked my name! I am not aware of any event that gave rise to this. I was raised in a loving, stable family and never ..read more

2019 has been a busy year for the Genetics of Stuttering Study! We have ben continuing to recruit participants throughout the year, have collected heaps of data, and have been working on lots of behind the scenes planning! As the year draws to a close, we thought it a good time to provide an update on how the study is progressing, and our plans into the new year. Continuing to recruit! In September, we had a great boost to recruitment, as the study made several appearances in the media.  Members of the Genetics of Stuttering team featured on radio, television and in news articles ac ..read more

A personal perspective on stuttering by Sarah Horton, speech pathologist, PhD student and person who stutters. We often use the iceberg analogy to describe stuttering. Above the surface are the parts of stuttering that are observable to those around us: sound and word repetitions, prolongations, blocks, and those tic-like movements of our bodies that can accompany them. But underneath the water is the internal experience of stuttering. This is where fear lives, and shame, anxiety, and avoidance behaviours. And the great mental energy it takes to implement techniques that make us appear flu ..read more

Insights into the everyday experiences of people who stutter We are very excited to announce the publication of our new paper: “Self-reported impact of developmental stuttering across the lifespan” in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. Through our Genetics of Stuttering Study, we have collected a wealth of information from people who stutter (PWS), about the nature and impact of stuttering. Our new paper describes the lived experiences of the first approx. 1000 people recruited to our study. So, what did we find? We had information from 852 adults, and 135 children. We know tha ..read more

Study Participant Cody got in touch to let us know about a new Facebook community he has created, to connect people who stutter in New Zealand.  Cody's Story Hi, I'm Cody Mathieson Packer, a proud New Zealander who stutters and a global stuttering advocate. Over the last few years, I have been a part of stuttering organizations and communities in the US and Australia working with children and adults of all ages at camps and online spaces. It was only when I recently returned to New Zealand that I realized how much of a need we have for a community space here where people who stutt ..read more

After hearing about our study, Roger, from Hamilton, NZ, got in touch to tell us an intriguing story about his family history. I am absolutely sure that genetics play a role with those of us who stutter. I began to stutter at age six, my brother two years older than me (now deceased) stuttered also and did so for all of his life. My youngest son began to stutter also at the age of six. My son Grant (now 44 and living in Sydney) was able to be helped by Speech Language Therapists through his school, plus having family help at home. He has had a fluent speaking life ever since receiving tr ..read more

Welcome New Zealand! | Kia ora Aotearoa! Exciting news! We are now recruiting people who stutter in New Zealand!     The Genetics of Stuttering study was officially launched in New Zealand last night on TVNZ's Seven Sharp show. Watch the video below to hear Professor Lynette Sadleir from the University of Otago, in Wellington talk about the study. We were also lucky to have the support of Janelle Irvine from the Stuttering Treatment and Research Trust, and the wonderful Quin family! Catch the full story here: How do I take part? Ever experienced stuttering, and Interested in ..read more

Study participant Sian Williams, 13, shares her experiences of growing up with a stutter.  I was five when my teacher told my parents that she thought I might have a stutter. They took me to have a test done where I was given a book to read out loud. Every time I stuttered, stumbled on my words or hesitated a lot, a lady pressed a button that counted my ‘bumps’. In the end, my stutter was ranked from one to 10. One was little to no stutter, and 10 meant I had an extreme stutter. I got 13.5. I didn’t understand why I spoke funny and why I have this. I was baffled and didn’t know how ..read more

What an exciting day we had on Friday! The Genetics of Stuttering team spent the day speaking to the media about the study, and put a call out for anybody who has ever experienced stuttering to volunteer for our study. We were also very lucky to be joined by study participant Sian Williams, founder of kidzucate and anti-bullying advocate, who shared her experiences of stuttering. Here are some highlights from the day! Radio appearances Prof Angela Morgan and Sian with Jon Faine on ABC Radio Melbourne [Photo credit: Azelene Williams] Prof Angela Morgan and Sian joined Jon Faine on the ABC Radio ..read more