The Democratic presidential candidateās gaffes may be rooted in a little-understood disability.
Some have been quick to question Bidenās mental fitness, hinting at a possible age-related cognitive decline (he just turned 77 years old), but itās important to consider that many of those missteps could have been caused by his lifelong struggle with a speech impediment.
NYU speech pathologist Eric S. Jackson explains, āStuttering can be thought of as a neurobiological āglitchā ā broadly speaking, the neural processes that are involved in speech, at times, donāt function like those in non-stuttering speakers. The glitches manifest themselves as intermittent and somewhat unpredictable interruptions in speech, typically repetitions of syllables or audible/inaudible prolongations of sounds. The speaker knows precisely what he or she wants to say, but in that moment, their body temporarily prevents them from producing speech.ā
Stuttering is recognized as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. While Bidenās verbal missteps donāt cast him any favors on the debate floor, just him being a person with a speech impediment running for the highest office in the country is a powerful reminder for young people who may feel limited by their disabilities.
āIf I could share one piece of advice with all of those struggling with a stutter, it would be this: When you commit yourself to a goal and when you persevere in the face of struggle, you will discover new strengths and skills to help you overcome not only this challenge, but future life challenges as well. I promise you ā you have nothing to be ashamed of, and you have every reason to be proud,ā Biden penned in a 2015 letter to the Stuttering Foundation of America.
It's not nice to ridicule people with speech impediments. What do you think?
Some have been quick to question Bidenās mental fitness, hinting at a possible age-related cognitive decline (he just turned 77 years old), but itās important to consider that many of those missteps could have been caused by his lifelong struggle with a speech impediment.
NYU speech pathologist Eric S. Jackson explains, āStuttering can be thought of as a neurobiological āglitchā ā broadly speaking, the neural processes that are involved in speech, at times, donāt function like those in non-stuttering speakers. The glitches manifest themselves as intermittent and somewhat unpredictable interruptions in speech, typically repetitions of syllables or audible/inaudible prolongations of sounds. The speaker knows precisely what he or she wants to say, but in that moment, their body temporarily prevents them from producing speech.ā
Stuttering is recognized as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. While Bidenās verbal missteps donāt cast him any favors on the debate floor, just him being a person with a speech impediment running for the highest office in the country is a powerful reminder for young people who may feel limited by their disabilities.
āIf I could share one piece of advice with all of those struggling with a stutter, it would be this: When you commit yourself to a goal and when you persevere in the face of struggle, you will discover new strengths and skills to help you overcome not only this challenge, but future life challenges as well. I promise you ā you have nothing to be ashamed of, and you have every reason to be proud,ā Biden penned in a 2015 letter to the Stuttering Foundation of America.
Are Joe Bidenās gaffes related to a lifelong stuttering problem?
The Democratic presidential candidateās gaffes may be rooted in a little-understood disability.
thehill.com
It's not nice to ridicule people with speech impediments. What do you think?