| Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter

Back to the Basics: The ABCs of Stuttering

In The ABCs of Stuttering, students courageously share what it's like to stutter, how it makes them feel, and how it affects their participation at school.

July 12, 2025

As School Starts Back, Do Less Not More: School SLPs and Stuttering

If you are like most school-based SLPs, the start of a school year is a mixed bag of hopes, ambitions, optimism, and, of course, logistics.

Drawings and Letters Fly In

Check out what landed in our mailbox from kids around the world.

Using Voluntary Stuttering to Empower Children Who Stutter

Presented by Joseph Donaher

Basic Clinical Skills

Presented by Barry Guitar, Peter Ramig, et al.

"Excellent course! The techniques were explained well and the videos of the slps working with clients was extremely helpful! Thank you!!"-SLP

Helping School-Age Children Who Stutter Evolve Communicative Competence

Presented by Kristin Chmela

"Extremely well organized! I really appreciate the flexibility that the self-study offers. I love being able to pause the video and go back and listen again when something really strikes me or when I need to hear it again!"-SLP

May 28, 2025

Road Doesn't Have to be Rocky for Those Who Stutter

National Stuttering Awareness Week earlier this month brought much-needed attention to stuttering, which affects 1% of adults and 5% of children worldwide.

Stuttering: For Kids, By Kids 2.0

February 6, 2025

Success is Loving the Process

"Through music, I’ve been given the privilege of actualizing some of my dreams like releasing music on some of my favorite labels and collaborating and touring with some of my favorite artists that I grew up listening to."

7 Tips for Talking with the Child Who Stutters

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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.

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.

Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles, a former player for The Philadelphia Eagles, the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers, made history 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. In 2021, he was selected to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Emily Blunt

Actress Emily Blunt struggled with stuttering early in her life. A teacher encouraged her to act in a school play at age 12 despite her stuttering.

Blunt’s name is prominently featured on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter.