PRINTER'S NO. 2848
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
366
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY MARKOSEK, HILL-EVANS, GREINER, McNEILL, POWELL,
HEFFLEY, D. MILLER, PISCIOTTANO, HOHENSTEIN, LABS, HADDOCK,
VENKAT, KINSEY, KULIK, MALAGARI, DELLOSO, SCHLOSSBERG, CURRY,
SANCHEZ, MERSKI, HARKINS AND NEILSON, APRIL 3, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, APRIL 3, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the week of May 9 through 15, 2024, as "National
Stuttering Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, The National Stuttering Association celebrates
"National Stuttering Awareness Week" annually the second week of
May to reach the thousands of people who stutter, feel alone and
isolated, and to spread knowledge about stuttering; and
WHEREAS, Stuttering is a speech disorder in which sounds,
syllables or words are repeated and may be accompanied by rapid
blinking, lip tremors, speech blocks and interjections, making
it difficult to communicate; and
WHEREAS, Stuttering, also referred to as stammering or
disfluent speech, is a genetically influenced condition that can
develop in duration or appear suddenly, with symptoms varying
over time; and
WHEREAS, The most common form of stuttering, developmental
stuttering, occurs early during speech and language learning,
but strokes or head or brain injuries may result in neurogenic
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
stuttering; and
WHEREAS, There are many harmful and incorrect myths about the
causes of stuttering, including that it is the result of
shyness, nervousness, self-consciousness, lower intelligence,
less capability, emotional trauma or bad parenting; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 1% of the adult population stutters,
in every nation and language, equating to about 3 million
Americans and 130,000 Pennsylvanians; and
WHEREAS, Adult males are three to four times more likely to
stutter than adult females, and male children are two times more
likely to stutter than female children; and
WHEREAS, Usually beginning between the ages of two to five
years, approximately 5% of children go through a period of
stuttering, including famous Pennsylvania natives, President
Joseph Biden, Jimmy Stewart and Wilt Chamberlain; and
WHEREAS, Eighty percent of children who stutter stop by
school age; and
WHEREAS, For people who stutter, the lost control of their
speech mechanism is not the biggest priority, but it may have an
impact on their quality of life and interpersonal relationships;
and
WHEREAS, Children who stutter are at a higher risk of
bullying, which may lead to avoiding speaking or altering their
communication style, causing further psychological distress or
unnecessary tension; and
WHEREAS, Individuals who stutter may be referred to speech-
language pathologists to help bolster confidence and
communication by focusing speech therapy on a place of
destigmatization; and
WHEREAS, It is also important that school personnel be
20240HR0366PN2848 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
trained in working with students who stutter, and students who
stutter should be given the tools to express their feelings and
experiences; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
week of May 9 through 15, 2024, as "National Stuttering
Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.
20240HR0366PN2848 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6