Keep Calm and Carry On. We're sure you've seen it on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter or even Instagram. It's a catchy meme. It seems to be a phrase to which many persons who stutter can relate. Its first appearance wasn't on a Droid RAZR or a Macbook Pro but in London during a time of great panic and uncertainty. And it has deep roots in the stuttering community.
To celebrate National Stuttering Awareness Week, May 12-18, the Stuttering Foundation honored four authors whose recent books are widely acclaimed by both critics and readers alike.
Summer Newsletter
Dr. Joseph Sheehan's iceberg analogy was recently featured on the Stuttering Foundation's Facebook page with a massive response from the public. As I prepare to facilitate a weeklong intensive course for teenagers who stutter, it is timely to discuss the significant contribution of the stuttering iceberg. Sheehan's main message was "Don't avoid, don't' hide, don't deny your stuttering."
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was famous for many things in his life. First, he was a world famous boxer who seemed destined to win the World Middleweight Boxing Championship. After losing a title fight for the championship, he was set to make another attempt for the world crown when he was erroneously arrested and wrongfully convicted for the triple murder of three people in a bar in Paterson, New Jersey in 1966.
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.
Kirk and John Tarver and their Memphis-based Shelby Railroad Services Inc. raised more than $10,000 for the Stuttering Foundation.
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