International Stuttering Awareness Day

Stuttering Foundation Offers a Big Tent for Those Seeking Help

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Greg Wilson
gregwilsonpr@gmail.com
571-239-7474

Memphis, Tenn. (October 20, 2025) – October 22^nd marks International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD). Stuttering affects an estimated one percent of the world’s population—that’s more that 80 million people worldwide, and more than three million Americans.

Since its inception in 1947, the Stuttering Foundation’s mission has remained unchanged: providing trusted information about stuttering and its treatment, bringing public attention to the stuttering community, training the next generation of SLPs who work in the clinical setting, funding research into the causes and treatment of stuttering, and providing help to all those who seek it.

“We provide a ‘Big Tent’ for those seeking information and assistance,” said Stuttering Foundation President, Jane Fraser. “We learned long ago that there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to treatment for those who stutter. We lean on the foundational work of Charles Van Riper, Dean Williams, Joseph Sheehan, Malcolm Fraser, and many more. And we delve into contemporary approaches championed by today’s leading experts who facilitate our workshops, speak at conferences, write for our magazine, appear on our podcasts, and lead our CEUs and Virtual Learning sessions. All along, we are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to reach those who seek help and to raise awareness of stuttering.”

The Foundation held its first conference in 1957 to bring together eminent speech pathologists and authorities in psychology, psychiatry, and even cultural anthropology for a week of discussions to see if they could agree upon general guidelines for a comprehensive program on stuttering. This was the first opportunity these professionals had to confer as a group for such an extended period of time.

The conference resulted in a book, On Stuttering: Its Treatment. This was no small feat considering the disagreements and diversity of thought among authorities at that time. Since then, the organization has sponsored many such forums during which leading speech pathology professionals have shared ideas. These week-long conferences have been critical in working toward agreement concerning therapy techniques. Through the years, Stuttering Foundation books have been translated into more than 45 foreign languages and have reached more than 20 million people.

“Since we began, there has been disagreement and debate about the best way to treat those who stutter,” added Fraser. “That may never change. However, at the Stuttering Foundation, we understand that no two people stutter in the same way, and their goals may vary.”

For more than 75 years, the Stuttering Foundation, the oldest and largest charitable nonprofit organization in the world working toward the prevention and improved treatment of stuttering, reaches over a million people in more than 168 countries annually with help and resources.

About the Stuttering Foundation

Malcolm Fraser, a successful businessman who struggled with stuttering, established the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation in 1947 and endowed it throughout his lifetime. The Foundation provides free online resources at StutteringHelp.org for people who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering.

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CELEBRITY FOCUS

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

Frank Wolf

This Virginian congressman has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1981. The longtime supporter of the Stuttering Foundation drew national attention to childhood stuttering in 2006 when he submitted an article about Tiger Woods from the SFA newsletter to the Congressional Record. The congressman is featured in the Stuttering Foundation's Famous People Who Stutter brochure.

Winston Churchill

Seeking to "remove Winston Churchill's stutter by second guessing the diagnosis" indicates neither a truthful retelling of history nor an informed opinion about a complex speech disorder, say experts in the field of speech-language pathology.

Recent news reports that quote Dr. John Mather, a Washington physician, as saying that Churchill's stutter "is a lie" brought adamant critical response from specialists in the field of stuttering and fluency disorders.

Jack Paar

While Jack Paar is among the most prominent of the entertainers on the Stuttering Foundation’s list of Famous People Who Stutter, he deserves special recognition as he was among the first to openly address his stuttering in public. As host of The Tonight Show from 1957-1962, he spoke of his difficulties as a stuttering child and teenager, giving hope to young people.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, was well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones spoke 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.