Bridget Walsh is part of a team that will present research findings at the American Association for the Advancement in Science annual meeting Feb. 19.
Called "From the King’s Speech to the Oath of Office: Advances in Stuttering Research,” the presentation addresses research that, throughout the years, has helped further what is known about stuttering – a disorder that affects 70 million people worldwide.
“Stuttering is a highly stigmatized and poorly misunderstood speech condition,” Walsh, assistant professor in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, said. “It’s critical to seize opportunities when you have the dais to educate the public about what stuttering is (and isn’t)!”
Walsh’s fellow presenters are Nan Bernstein Ratner, from the University of Maryland; Ho Ming Chow, from the University of Delaware; and Gerald Maguire, from the University of California, Riverside.
The presentations discuss discoveries in how and why stuttering arises. For example, stuttering is a neurodevelopmental condition, not the result of a bad experience, anxiety or depression.
Each faculty member will present different aspects of stuttering. Walsh’s portion focuses on the development of stuttering in young children near its onset.
Walsh and her colleagues will present during a scientific session and media availability at the annual meeting. Typically done in person, this year’s meeting has been moved to a virtual format.
Learn more about Walsh’s work at the Developmental Speech Lab.
The lab is seeking participation in its research. Children aged 3-18 who stutter are eligible to participate in a survey research, and preschool children who stutter are encouraged to participate in in-person studies that are starting. Email msustutteringlab@gmail.com or visit https://stutteringresearch.msu.edu/ for more information.
By Jennifer Trenkamp