Hi Nancy,

No, I never stuttered before my injury. In fact, my job involved a great deal of public speaking.

Funnily enough, Mark and I have been discussing TBI related speech issues in a thread on strange symptoms.

Frankly, I'm inclined to say, "Anxiety my *****!"

My speech therapist and neuro-psychologist told me catagorically that the stutter was the result of damage in my brain. The injury left me with other speech issues. For example, I say one word when I mean another and often I can't think of a word - even for a common object. There is no doubt my stutter worsens when I'm flustered, but that's because it makes it even harder for my damaged brain to process language.

Listen carefully when your daughter is talking. If her speech doesn't seem fluid, if she's unusually quiet or she's experiencing aphasia and/or apraxia in addition to the stuttering, she may have damage to that area of the brain.

By the way, I'm assuming your doctor does know that anxiety and panic attacks are common results of structural damage in the PCS brain, not some sign of psychological weakness or hysterics on your daughter's part.

Cheers