'The King's Speech' Likely to Break Stuttering Stereotypes

Robinson said the movie may have the power "to minimize the level of bullying and teasing that our kids endure as a result of this communications disorder."

Movie Realistically Depicts Protective Shell That Stutterers Create

In showing that King George VI underwent more than a decade of therapy with Logue, he said, the movie realistically depicts the degree of fear that often leaves them hiding for years.

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He said his sister, now in her 50s, has just begin to emerge from that shell "and be a little bit proactive in terms of advocating for herself. It takes some time to do that."

That's why so much of treatment involves not just slowing down speech, drawing out the breath and easing into words, but also psychological counseling.

But unlike the Windsor family, for whom money was not much of an object, many families don't have insurance coverage or the money to afford the $300 an hour that a place such as the National Children's Medical Center charges for speech therapy, especially when it may go on for years.