The Stuttering Foundation of America has provided a list of “Myths about Stuttering” that is so relevant for International Stuttering Awareness Day on October 22. It includes myths which are not true such as:
- People who stutter are not smart
- Nervousness causes stuttering
- Stuttering can be “caught.”
- It helps to tell a stutterer to “take a deep breath” before speaking
- Stress causes stuttering
One of my readers pointed out another excellent resource for parents, professionals and people who stutter:
“As the mom of a child who stutters, I’d also like to add that the National Stuttering Association has great information for SLP’s, parents, pediatricians, teachers, adults, teens and kids who stutter. The NSA also publishes newsletters with articles often written by adults and young people who stutter that anyone touched by stuttering will find inspiring and educational. You can find the newsletters at -
http://www.westutter.org/stutteringInformation/NSANewsletters.html.”
NSA’s website provides many opportunities to connect with other stutterers, or parents though e-mail discussion groups, the internet, workshops and local chapters.
Take advantage of this resource.
I just got the Stuttering Foundation’s Fall 2009 newsletter. For those of you who stutter or work with clients who stutter, this is a great resource for you. This month’s featured articles deal with the use of cognitive behavioral therapy with stutterers and recent research being conducted at Purdue University by Hayley Arnold, Ph.D., who is studying “how language, motor, and emotion factors may influence stuttering in young children.”
I think it is important for us as speech therapists to keep up with current research in our field, especially in relation to the types of clients we work with.
