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From: Nora O'Connor
Date: 10/17/02
Time: 2:25:14 PM
Remote Name: 208.32.238.2
Stuttering is known to be hereditary and more prevalent among men than women. It seems stuttering is genetically transmitted in such a way as to surface more in males than females. To receive a more informative response please address your question to "The professor is in".
I do not know if there have been studies on whether adult woman who stutter are more likely to seek speech therapy treatment then men. But, I don't feel that would be an accurate measurement to determine the prevalance of stuttering in males or females.
I do know that one major barrier to receiving treatment for all adults who stutter is the lack of insurance coverage for speech therapy. Since speech therapy cost money I can only conclude that men would have more accessibiltiy to treatment because more often than not they are in a better financial position in society.
I don't feel your last question would account for the low numbers of females who stutter. But, again because of the high cost of speech therapy it is difficult for any adult who stutters to access services. I don't feel generally that woman who stutter disappear and hide behind their partner. Although because of the nature of the disorder I know that that can and does happen (for men and woman).
Thank you for your interest. I appreciate your desire to learn more about stuttering, as well as the person who stutters. If you are an SLP or grad student please use the National Stuttering Association and FRIENDS -- The Association for Young People who Stutter as resources for yourself, your clients and their family members.