Blogs

October 1, 2018

An Open Letter to 20-Year-Old Me: Going Back to Speech Therapy is a Good Thing

You’ve been asked numerous times by numerous people, “What is your five year plan?” This is you at 25 giving you a sneak peek of what that those five years entail.

August 14, 2018

Philly Workshop Life-Changing for SLPs Across the Globe

I had the privilege of attending a 5-day Stuttering Foundation workshop in Philadelphia aimed at improving the clinical skills of speech-language pathologists when working with young people how stutter.

August 13, 2018

Training the Therapists

For more than 70 years, the Stuttering Foundation has provided expert information and help to the global stuttering community.

February 5, 2018

A Look Back

Vince Vawter, author of "Paperboy,” shared his personal messages to individuals who stutter, parents of children who stutter and speech clinicians.

January 5, 2018

2017: The Year in Review

As 2018 begins, I take a look back at some of the pivotal moments over the Stuttering Foundation’s 70^th year in 2017.

October 25, 2017

Stuttering requires patience and adaptation

For many of my fellow people who stutter, the feeling of disappointment, numbness and simultaneous relief after a tough presentation is all too familiar.

August 30, 2017

Creating Safe Schools for Young People Who Stutter

If children feel safe, they can take risks, ask questions, make mistakes, learn to trust, share their feelings, and grow. - Alfie Kohn (Author)

May 12, 2017

The Dragon’s Scale

Happy National Stuttering Awareness Week everyone! National Stuttering Awareness Week is an annual event in the United States held in the second week of May which celebrates, educates and spreads the word about stuttering.

February 13, 2017

Recruiting Fluent Allies

I begin this blog post reflecting on opposing events which have prompted a call for the recruitment of allies for people who stutter. Last year, it was heartening to see that the theme from the International Stuttering Awareness Day Online Conference was "Stuttering Pride: Respect. Dignity. Recognition."

August 31, 2016

Making Changes Over Time

This is a story about how a young man’s stuttering journey and his road to effective communication and self-acceptance as a person who stutters.

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CELEBRITY FOCUS

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.

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.

Bruce Willis

While the world knows Bruce Willis as an A-list actor, few know that he struggled with stuttering throughout his first 20 years.

Walter Bruce Willis was born in 1955 in West Germany to his German mother, Marlene, and his American GI father, David Willis. The family settled in David’s hometown of Penns Grove, New Jersey in 1957, and the couple has three other children.

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.

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.