A question of sorts.

[IMxAxMONSTERx]

So today I was talking with some friends, and I just happened to stutter, as soon as I did, my friend said, "you must have been tickled on your feet as a baby." I ask what she meant. She said, "if you get tickled on your feet by the doctor when your born and in the early years of your life, before you start talking, you'll stutter when you get older."

Now, my question is, is that true? It intrueged me.

 

[Camel26]

I have a feeling that, if this were true, EVERYONE would stutter...

Doctors perform a Babinski test early on in an infant's life to test neural function/reflexes...which can be construed as a ticklish sensation when performed on an adult with average neural function...

Plus, I don't know of ANY baby who hasn't had his/her feet lovingly stroked by parent...

I think said claim is an old wive's tale...and would be difficult to prove...

 

[QueenBeeBeeMari]

So today I was talking with some friends, and I just happened to stutter, as soon as I did, my friend said, "you must have been tickled on your feet as a baby." I ask what she meant. She said, "if you get tickled on your feet by the doctor when your born and in the early years of your life, before you start talking, you'll stutter when you get older."

Now, my question is, is that true? It intrueged me.

No it is not true

 

[MistressValerie1]

There is a recent medical-journal article on stuttering here which explores a variety of possible causes. (When I was a teacher some years ago, it was thought that trying to teach naturally left-handed children to write right-handed was the cause.)

 

[duck171]

I had take take speech class for a couple of years when I was young for stuttering and my teachers said that there is no one cause known. Now this was a long time ago and maybe more has been discovered.

 

[Dannigrl]

Hey! w-w-w-w-what are y-y-y-you guys c-c-c-complain-n-n-n-ning about this t-t-time?

I stuttered up into my teens, and suffered relentless teasing over it. It has nothing to do with tickling, being dropped on your head, or any other activity. It's a misfire in the brain, that's all. To prove this, a person who stutters can sing w/o stuttering. This is how I got over it: When going to speak, I actually sang the words in my head, but spoke them normally.

 

[duck171]

I feel your pain Danni. I still get called boomhower (king of the hill).

 

[Skipadeedoodah1]

I never stuttered as a child, but within the past few years I've noticed myself doing it. Usually it happens when I'm under an extreme amount of stress, or when I used to work 3rd shift and go to college, I'd be up for like 36 hours at a time then crash for 12 or 15 hours. It was horrible. Anyways, during that time I stuttered alot, and had a hard time finding my words when I was talking. Now that I'm on a more normal schedule (work 2nd shift and go to college) I still stutter once in awhile, but it's EXTREMELY less, and I don't have as much trouble finding my words, so I think that stress and exhaustion were the cause of my stuttering. But I was tickling alot as a kid too so who knows LOL

 

[Skipadeedoodah1]

tickled alot* there's no ler in me LOL never was

 

[Cbarton]

Hey! w-w-w-w-what are y-y-y-you guys c-c-c-complain-n-n-n-ning about this t-t-time?

I stuttered up into my teens, and suffered relentless teasing over it. It has nothing to do with tickling, being dropped on your head, or any other activity. It's a misfire in the brain, that's all. To prove this, a person who stutters can sing w/o stuttering. This is how I got over it: When going to speak, I actually sang the words in my head, but spoke them normally.

Exhibit A: Mel Tills, country music artist. Won Entertainer of the Year one year. Has always had a stuttering problem and did the same thing and parlayed it into a successful singing career. In fact, he made it a part of his act (not like he could cover it up anyway). But, he has always handled it in good humor and in a positive light. For those of the younger generation, he is Pam Tillis's uncle...