Childhood stuttering is often a natural part of being a 2 to 5-year-old. Little minds often work faster than their newfound speech capacity. Yet, as the child grows older and gets to the age of reading in school, stuttering can be an enormous embarrassment. The child may begin to develop poor self esteem, avoid groups or public speaking engagements or start performing poorly in school. There are many places to get speech stutter information to make sure your child does not suffer this disadvantage in life.

The Stuttering Foundation (www.stutteringhelp.org) is one place to get information. This nonprofit organization has been around since 1947 and provides quick facts on stuttering, as well as age-appropriate sections for parents of preschoolers, parents of elementary school kids, kids, teens, adults, teachers, employers, doctors and speech pathologists. Parents will find newsletters, videos, books, continuing education, as well as links to news stories and stuttering research. Indy 500 race car driver Leon Duray Sirois recently got involved with this nonprofit, charitable organization, which is based in Memphis, to help others who struggle with speech trouble. He said the foundation offers books and DVDs to 8,000 public libraries around the nation. He adds, “The big difference between self-therapy and professional therapy is economics. My therapy cost in excess of $3,000 for 19 days, 10 years ago. For some families, that is cost-prohibitive.”

Another speech stutter information source is the National Stuttering Association. This group’s mission statement is to “provides support, friendship, and information to the stuttering community, instilling the sense of self-worth so often missing in the lives of those who battle this disorder.” Parents who become members of the consumer-run association will receive newsletters and brochures with the latest research on stuttering. They’ll be able to attend local community gatherings and nationwide events. They will receive help locating local speech therapy classes and have access to exclusive workshops aimed at helping them understand their child’s problem better. For more information, visit www.nsastutter.org.

The UC Irvine Center for the Medical Treatment of Stuttering is a third valuable resource for those with speech stutter problems. This facility opened in October 2007 to focus on improving speech fluency through pharmacologic and biological treatments. Visitors to the treatment center will receive state-of-the-art speech stuttering therapy and effective medication. “We are tremendously proud to announce the opening of this new center,” said Maureen Zehntner, the CEO of UCI Healthcare. “Patients who come here for treatment will meet experts who understand the complexities of their disorder and who are passionate about patient care.” Recently they began trials for a drug called Pagaclone, which boosts GABA chemicals in the brain and restricts some of the dopamine flow to treat stuttering.

Rene Lacape is a well trained insurance agent who has been in the industry for so long. Many clients have been satisfied and have been recommending him to others. Check his website so you will know for yourself what goodness of dealing with him is.