In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation establishing the second week in May as National Stuttering Awareness Week. Today, the National Stuttering Association continues to celebrate, educate, and spread the word about stuttering. This year, the U.S. swore in President Joe Biden, who has been a champion for those who stutter. Causes. Many children will experience stuttering as a normal part of learning to speak. For some, stuttering becomes a chronic condition that persists into adulthood. At its core, stuttering is caused by a minor abnormality in a motor control and sensory timing. Genetics is a strong factor in determining who develops a stutter. For those who stutter, stress is the most likely environmental factor in triggering the fluency disruption. Symptoms. The most recognizable symptom is a difficulty in starting a word, phrase, or sentence. Prolonging the pronunciation of a word or repeating a word is another common symptom of stuttering. Brief silences while speaking, broken words, and the addition of verbal fillers such as “umm” are also common symptoms of having a stutter. Treatments. Speech therapy is the most common way to treat stuttering. Generally, speech therapy will help you slow down your speech patterns, allowing you to notice when you are more likely to stutter. This kind of therapy can be enhanced with a speech pattern device that gives real-time feedback to the speaker. Over time, these therapies will mold the speech patterns to be more fluent. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is another common treatment. CBT offers a range of tools to help resolve the stress that can cause or worsen stuttering. Outcomes. If untreated, a stutter can lead to social and professional problems. Because people who stutter are more likely to be bullied or ignored, personal issues like social anxiety, low self-esteem, and seclusion can arise. Fitness Jumping Rope is not for the faint of heart. (Think about Rocky training for his big fights.) While skipping rope might be fun for kids, adults are turning to the serious task of jumping rope at home, at the gym, and in the park. Because it requires so little space with only one piece of equipment, jumping rope is an economical way to get fit. If you want to get sophisticated, you can buy a fitness rope that will count your repetitions. Give it a try—300 successful jumps will be quite the work out. —Courtesy of Brightstar Insurance Service