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From: Peter Ramig
Date: 10/3/02
Time: 4:32:16 PM
Remote Name: 128.138.238.113
Most specialists of stuttering do not believe parents cause stuttering; however, the parent's home environment, once the stuttering is evident, may very well contribute to the maintenance or even worsening of stuttering. More specifically, a home (or school) environment that is fast paced, punitive toward the child's stuttering, or a home that has been changed due to a move or family upheaval, may influence stuttering in a more negative way.
Regarding another question of yours, the vast majority of experts do not believe you need to be concerned about your youngest child developing stuttering as a result of her copying the stuttering of your older daughter.
Finally, your daughter's stuttering could be negatively influenced by the fact she is learning additional languages. A commonly accepted theory pertains to stuttering occuring as a result of too many demands on the child's speech and thinking systems. It is thought that is the reason why there is a slightly higher percentage of stuttering in children who are learning more than one language. The fact your daughter is more fluent in her first language (English) as compared to her second languages, French and the Bassa dialect, may add support to this theory.
Finally, the fact your daughter is female who stutters is positive because more girls than boys recover completely from stuttering