Stuttering

FAMOUS PEOPLE THAT STUTTER

Actors, singers & entertainers

James Earl Jones, Nicole Kidman, Emily Blunt, Mel Tillis, Nicholas Brendon, Bruce Willis, Sam Neill, Eric Roberts, Raymond Massey, Carly Simon, Marilyn Monroe, Tom Sizemore, Harvey Keitel, Mike Rowe, Michelle Williams, Marc Anthony, B.B. King, Doug MacLeod, Tim Gunn, Samuel L. Jackson

Sports stars

Tiger Woods, Kenyon Martin, Johnny Damon, Ron Harper, Pat Williams, Bo Jackson, Lester Hayes, Tommy John, Greg Louganis, Dave Taylor, Adrian Peterson, Chris Zorich, Trumaine McBride, Gordie Lane, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Jermain Taylor, Ken Venturi, Bob Sanders, Jeff Walz, Sophie Gustafson, Shaquille O'Neal, Perico Fernandez, Juanfran (Juan Francisco Garcia Garcia), Matt Slauson, Mark Rubin, Antonio Dixon, Herschel Walker, Ivo Karlovic, Ellis Lankster, Sigi Schmid, Damien Woody, Boyd Rankin

Writers, authors, producers, composers, and artists

Alan Rabinowitz, Jeffrey Blitz, John Updike, Somerset Maugham, Lewis Carroll, Margaret Drabble, Jane Seymour, Indiana Gregg, Marc Shell, Robert A. Heinlein, Neville Shute, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jack Eberts, Dominick Dunne, Charles Darwin, John Gregory Dunne, Edward Hoagland, Jorge Luis Borges, Calvert Casey, Mike Peters, Jim Davis, Philip Larkin, Scott Damian, David Mitchell

Journalists and photographers

John Stossel, P.F. Bentley, Byron Pitts, Henry Luce, Jeff Zeleny

Government leaders & public officials

Vice President Joseph Biden, Winston Churchill, Henry M. Paulson, Jr.Congressman Frank, Wolf Prince Albert of Monaco, Miguel Estrada, Sidney Gottlieb, Bill Sheffield, King George VI, Annie Glenn Col., Joshua Chamberlain, Alan Turing, Thomas Kean, Rex Lee, Camille Desmoulins

Business leaders

Walter Wriston, John Sculley, Mike Harper, Jack Welch, Vince Naimoli, Steven Brill, Michael Sheehan, Walter H. Annenberg, Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest, Ernie Canadeo, Marc Vetri

Stuttering in antiquity

Moses — Some scholars believe Moses, the leader and liberator of the Hebrews, stuttered and point to verses in Exodus.

Demosthenes — Many believe this Athenian, recognized as the greatest Greek orator of ancient times, stuttered.

EMPOWERING CHILDREN TO ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES

Nina Reardon-Reeves, MS & J. Scott Yaruss, PhD www.StutteringTherapyResources.com

As speech-language pathologists, we know that stuttering is a widely misunderstood communication disorder. Society is often confused about what stuttering truly is, and this can lead to negative consequences for children who stutter. Well-meaning relatives may give advice that is not helpful, such as “Slow down,” or “Take a deep breath before talking.” Strangers may be impatient with a child because they do not understand what is happening when they see someone stutter. Even teachers and others at school who see a child every day may not know how to respond to stuttering. All of this can make it harder for a child to communicate with his classmates and succeed in the educational setting.

Empowering & Building Self Confidence

While we would love to be able to educate everyone in a child’s environment about stuttering or safeguard our students from all of the negative listener reactions they might face, we know that we do not have the time or the power to do so. Educational efforts by stuttering organizations and individual speech-language pathologists certainly help, but we cannot reach everyone. Therefore, our students need to feel empowered to become their own advocates. The first step toward self-advocacy is developing the knowledge and confidence they will need to talk about stuttering with their family, in their schools, and in a wide range of social environments. Here are some tips for empowering children so they will be ready to become self-advocates. These concepts are explored in detail throughout

School-Age Stuttering Therapy: A Practical Guide , particularly in Chapter 10, “No Child Is an Island."

Learn about speaking and stuttering:

Even young children benefit from developing a better understanding of how speech is made and what happens when they stutter. This is a first step in learning to manage stuttering for the long term. And, increased knowledge leads to increased power and confidence.

Understand the process of therapy:

Children gain confidence in their own skills by knowing why they are doing what they are doing in therapy. By understanding the rationale for management techniques, as well

as for activities designed to reduce negative reactions to stuttering, children can become more involved in problem solving. This also increases their ability to adjust to the situations they will face throughout their lives. (Our therapy “Summary Sheets” are a particularly helpful set of resources for helping children understand the rationale for

Say what they want to say:

What children say is more important than how they say it. Internalizing this

message gives children the “fuel” they need to advocate for themselves. Children who know that their messages are valued even when they stutter are more prepared to approach challenging speaking situations with confidence, secure in the knowledge that they can say what they want to say.

Get involved with support:

Our students are not alone on their journeys learning to deal with stuttering. By

taking advantage of resources and support activities, they can see that family, friends, teachers, and others who stutter can all become a helpful part of their team. As children mature, the responsibility for dealing with stuttering shifts away from parents, SLPs, and caregivers to the children themselves. Empowerment means that children feel strong enough to face communication challenges with confidence and to create their own success. SLPs can plant the seeds for empowerment and self-advocacy during therapy and help parents and caregivers understand their role in the process.