Stuttering

Myth: Stuttering is an acquired habit.

Reality: Claiming that stuttering is a habit means that the person would begin to stutter voluntarily and, with practice, stuttering become automatic. That's not what happens. Stuttering is a neurobiological disorder probably caused by malfunction of brain areas responsible for speech automation: the basal ganglia fail to properly adjust the duration of sounds and syllables, causing stretching, blocks or repetitions. This dysfunction is the result of a genetic predisposition or a change in the structure of the brain itself. Therefore, stuttering can not be simply learned by imitation, because it occurs in people who, somehow, are prone to it.