2016: New Year, Old Fears

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Greg Wilson
571-239-7474
greg@curleycompany.com

Memphis, Tenn. (Jan. 11, 2016) — For many people, ringing in the New Year brings hope and joyful anticipation. But for those who struggle with stuttering, the old fears of speaking and being teased are the same.

“I was picked on so much about my stuttering,” recalls 16-year old Peter, “that I wouldn’t even go to lunch because I didn’t want to sit at a table by myself.”

“I don’t raise my hand in class because I’m worried about what others might think,” says 14-year old Juan.

A typical school day can be fraught with painfully embarrassing situations for school-age children who stutter. Parents who notice their child beginning to stutter should seek help right away.

“In the past, experts incorrectly believed that giving attention to a child’s stuttering would exacerbate the situation,” said speech-language pathologist Lisa Scott, Ph.D. of The Florida State University. “We now know that children who stutter will have significantly less disfluent speech and a higher recovery rate if they are treated when they are young.”

To help parents gain a better understanding of stuttering, the Foundation offers a free streaming video in English and Spanish of Stuttering and Your Child: Help for Parents at www.stutteringhelp.org.

“Any time parents are concerned about a child’s fluency,” notes Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation, “they should educate themselves about the disorder and the many ways they can work to prevent stuttering from becoming a chronic problem. Early treatment for children who stutter is key!”

For a free copy of the newly-updated brochure, If You Think Your Child Is Stuttering, parents, teachers and others can call the Foundation’s toll-free helpline at 800-992-9392 or visit www.stutteringhelp.org. The site also offers a worldwide referral list of specialists in stuttering.

###

Foundation Spokesperson Jane Fraser
Jane Fraser is president of The Stuttering Foundation and co-author of If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents, 8th edition. A duel national with both American and French citizenship, Fraser is also vice president of the Action for Stammering Children, Michael Palin Centre in London.

About the Foundation
Malcolm Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer, established and endowed the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation in 1947. The Stuttering Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online resources on its Website, www.StutteringHelp.org, including services, referrals and support to people who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering.

Hide on More News:

Hide

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Lewis Carroll

The recent Disney version of Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice in Wonderland, garnered a great deal of media hype. Even though the mainstream media has not made mention that Carroll was a person who stuttered, his family history gives credence to the discovery of the genetic link to stuttering. Carroll was born to parents who were first cousins; almost all of their eleven children, three girls and seven boys, struggled with stuttering past childhood.

Byron Pitts

Byron Pitts has brought much attention to stuttering with his memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges, released in September, 2009. The book not only details his speech difficulties, but also his illiteracy until age 12 and his unstable family life. Pitts overcame the odds to become the chief national correspondent with ABC News.

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.

Carly Simon

Carly Simon began stuttering severely when she was eight years old.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, is well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones has spoken some of the most memorable lines in the history of American film, but the man known for his voice was once afflicted with a severe stutter.