If your child is stuttering, treat him as you would any other child: with kindness and respect. Above all, convey total acceptance. Working on communication and fluency skills is a challenge that affects all areas of a child's day; therefore, the child needs as much support, encouragement and acceptance as possible.
Frank Wolf remembers the moment he wanted to be a Congressman. It was in the third grade in Philadelphia, when schoolmates laughed at the young man who stuttered for dreaming about going to Washington.
Often under-acknowledged and under-used, partners and spouses of people who stutter play an important role in the “recovery process” of adults who stutter. Recently, I experienced this when my adult client, Joe brought his fiancée to a therapy session with him. It was courageous moment for Joe, to be able to show a different side of him to the person he was going to get married and openness to vulnerability that many would shy away from.
This week, the nationally-syndicated advice column “Miss Manners”advised readers on speaking with a person who stutters. Judith Martin, the legendary “Miss Manners” advice columnist since 1978, responded to an inquiry about the proper protocol when speaking with a person who stutters.
In her nationally syndicated column, Miss Manners responds to a question we get all the time… DEAR MISS MANNERS: What is the proper protocol when speaking with someone who has a stutter? Is it considered helpful or rude to assist him in completing a sentence or question?
Laura Jo McKamey passed away in May. She was killed in a car accident when a semi-truck struck her from behind during a “white out” in Montana. She was a graduate of the Stuttering Foundation’s Eastern and Western workshops.
Sometimes I Just Stutter is now available to the 120 million people who speak Swahili thanks to Dieudonne Nsabimana of Kigali, Rwanda. Find out how you can help him spread the word about stuttering. Plus, read more news from around the world...
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association had record attendance at its November convention in Chicago, and the Stuttering Foundation was there to spread the word about stuttering to the nearly 15,000 attendees.
For decades the Stuttering Foundation has been fortunate to enjoy a warm relationship with publications across the United States and beyond who have faithfully donated advertising space at no charge to this nonprofit organization.
We have to do things because we are afraid. We have to see a situation, recognize our fear, and do it because it scares us. We have to see fear as an opportunity for growth. We have to seek out challenges. Facing our fear with a sense of purpose makes us stronger because it puts us in control of the fear.
When I was about five years old, I started to stutter badly. It would take me about five minutes to read a sentence. Going to school made me more afraid to speak. High school was a little better because I had teachers who understood me.