Biden gave Brayden Harrington tips on his stutter ahead of DNC speech. What causes it?

Thirteen-year-old Brayden Harrington became one of the stars of the Democratic National Convention after he spoke Thursday about how Joe Biden helped him overcome his stutter.

Brayden said the Democratic presidential candidate helped change his life by giving him tips on how to treat his stutter. Biden, like Brayden, has struggled with stuttering throughout his life.

“He told me about a book of poems by Yeats he would read out loud to practice,” Brayden said Thursday during his speech. “He showed me how he marks his addresses to make them easier to say out loud. So I did the same thing today.”

Here are some things to know about stuttering:

What is stuttering?

Stuttering is described by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders as a “speech disorder characterized by repetition of sounds, syllables or words; prolongation of sounds; and interruptions in speech known as blocks.”

Those who stutter normally know the word they want to say, but have trouble vocalizing it, the Mayo Clinic said.

“As children produce longer and more complex sentences, their brain experiences higher demand,” according to WeStutter.org. “This increased demand can affect the motor control necessary to produce speech. When motor pathways can’t keep up with language signals, stuttering can occur.”

Around 3 million Americans stutter and it is most common in children ages 2 to 6, the NIDCD said. About 1% of Americans have long-term issues with their stutter, according to The Stuttering Foundation.

What causes stuttering?

Genetics may contribute to stuttering, as around 60% of stutterers have a family member who also does, The Stuttering Foundation said.

There may also be small brain differences during speech among people who stutter, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association said.

Other problems, such as language delays, ADHD and learning disabilities could also contribute to stuttering, WeStutter.org said. The organization said stuttering is not a psychological problem or a “a sign of brain injury or reduced intelligence.”

Boys are two to three times more likely to develop a stutter than girls, according to the NIDCD.

How can a stutter be treated?

Stuttering can be treated by speech therapy, which “often focuses on controlling speech patterns by encouraging your child to monitor their rate of speech, breath support and laryngeal tension,” according to HealthLine.com.

Some speech therapies focus on situations that may make the person fearful or anxious, which may alter their speech, according to ASHA.

“Practicing speaking slowly” and avoiding trigger words are other ways to help treat it, Medical News Today said.

Parents are encouraged to allow their child many opportunities to speak in a relaxed home environment and to speak slowly and relaxed to them, the NIDCD said.

Joe Biden’s stutter

Biden has detailed experiences with his own stutter, which developed when he was a child and into his 20s.

He told People in 2011 he was nicknamed “Joe Impedimenta” as a child due to his stutter. “You get so desperate, you’re so embarrassed,” he said, according to the outlet.

Biden never had professional therapy, but nuns at his school taught him to put cadence into his speaking, he told People.

Like he told Brayden, Biden treated his stutter by reciting poetry in the mirror, according to the National Association of Independent Schools.

As vice president in 2015, he offered advice to those who struggle with stuttering.

“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,” he wrote in a letter to The Stuttering Foundation. “I promise you – you have nothing to be ashamed of, and you have every reason to be proud.”

After Biden met and spoke with Brayden Harrington earlier this year, the boy’s father said it “meant a lot for both of us,” CNN reported.

“He put his focus on Brayden and made time for him, talked to him, explained that it doesn’t define him, he’s stronger, that he’s a good person,” Owen Harrington, Brayden’s dad, told CNN. “It was really overwhelming for Brayden. He started breaking down a little bit.”