Blogs | Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter

October 22, 2012

Happy International Stuttering Awareness Day Everyone!

One of my good SLP mates (and person who stutters) posted on his Facebook the perfect summary International Stuttering Awareness Day by saying “People who stutter have a voice, and have something to say. I like to think they were put on this earth to teach the world how to listen.”

October 10, 2012

15th ISAD Online Conference

For all of you who haven’t taken part in this year’s International Stuttering Awareness Day Online Conference, we’re at the halfway point and there is still plenty of time to post comments and questions to the authors of this year’s papers.

September 26, 2012

Commentary on SNL’s Drill Sergeant Skit

The ongoing discussion in the stuttering world about Saturday Night Live’s drill sergeant skit has been interesting to watch from afar. It was only last week that I got to view the segment online courtesy of someone posting the video on YouTube.

September 18, 2012

From Being Open About Stuttering to Attending Camp Shout Out!

To all those who read my last blog entry, I’m sorry for not posting sooner. After my piece on being open about stuttering, I was fortunate to fly out to Muskegon, Michigan (on a 20 hour flight!) to attend Camp Shout Out. For me it was the perfect opportunity to see everyone be open about their stuttering in a safe and supportive environment.

August 6, 2012

Being Open About Stuttering: Our New Blog

As the Stuttering Foundation of America celebrates sixty-five years of helping those who stutter, it is timely to acknowledge one man’s journey to being open about his stuttering. In 1947, Malcolm Fraser met with Dr Charles Van Riper to discuss setting up a nonprofit charitable organisation to help others who stuttered, spurred on from his own personal and often painful experience of stuttering.

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CELEBRITY FOCUS

Marilyn Monroe

From Edward S. Herrington's letter to Southcoasttoday.com

I am writing in response to "The importance of voice" (May 29), which mentioned that famous actor James Earl Jones struggled with stuttering. Another famous voice that you cited was the trademark breathy voice of Marilyn Monroe; however, you did not make mention of the fact that Marilyn Monroe also struggled with stuttering at various points in her life, sometimes very painfully.

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.

Dave Taylor

Dave Taylor has been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter for many years, but probably few people know all of the unique accomplishments of this former hockey great who was born on December 4, 1955, in Levack, Ontario.

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.

Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles, now a running back for The Philadelphia Eagles, made history with the San Diego Chargers in 2007 when he became the first player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt for his first two NFL touchdowns in the same game.

After that game, Sproles was approached more often for interviews, which exacerbated his stuttering. “I had to talk to the media a lot, and once they put a camera in my face that's when it got bad," Sproles said. 'I just had to work on it. I couldn't really stress about it, because that's just me."