In Their Own Words: Kids Who Stutter Star in Animated Video

Many children who stutter have never met anyone else who struggles to speak like they do. But in this new video from The Stuttering Foundation, viewers meet other kids who recount how they handle challenges such as teasing, speaking out in class, and teaching others about stuttering.

Stuttering: For Kids By Kids 2.0 is a new film starring real kids who stutter. Many children who stutter have never met anyone else who struggles to speak like they do. But in this new video from the Stuttering Foundation, they meet other kids who recount how they handle challenges such as teasing, speaking out in class, and teaching others about stuttering.

Kyle, a lively and engaging animated skateboarder, designed by Dream Farm Studios, narrates the film. The stars are children ranging from first graders to high school students, offering frank and sometimes differing views of stuttering.

For example, Matthew, age 10, says about his speech difficulties, “It’s no big deal;” while Kate, age 9, worries about talking, what is going to happen next and whether or not she’ll stutter. Arianne , age 14, says, “The hardest part about stuttering is to get through it and to stay in there when you’re stuck.” Umang, age 12, agrees, “Sometimes it gets kind of annoying when you want to say something and you can’t. I also get worried what other people might think if I do stutter and wonder if I’ll be able to get out of my blocks.”

“All those interested in helping kids learn more about stuttering will want to see this video,” said speech-language pathologist Dr. Ellen Kelly. “The children featured show all of us how to openly and honestly handle stuttering.”

“This is an important tool for families and teachers with students who stutter, too,” added Jane Fraser, president of the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation.

This video is available in our streaming video library

From the Fall 2022 Magazine

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Marilyn Monroe

From Edward S. Herrington's letter to Southcoasttoday.com

I am writing in response to "The importance of voice" (May 29), which mentioned that famous actor James Earl Jones struggled with stuttering. Another famous voice that you cited was the trademark breathy voice of Marilyn Monroe; however, you did not make mention of the fact that Marilyn Monroe also struggled with stuttering at various points in her life, sometimes very painfully.

John Melendez

He is a talented musician, actor, and comedian. Listen to a podcast.

Carly Simon

Carly Simon began stuttering severely when she was eight years old.

Lewis Carroll

The recent Disney version of Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice in Wonderland, garnered a great deal of media hype. Even though the mainstream media has not made mention that Carroll was a person who stuttered, his family history gives credence to the discovery of the genetic link to stuttering. Carroll was born to parents who were first cousins; almost all of their eleven children, three girls and seven boys, struggled with stuttering past childhood.

Bill Withers

While Bill Withers has long been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter, many people probably didn’t realize he stuttered. He passed away on March 30, 2020.

Born in 1938 in Slab Fork, W.V., Withers was the youngest of six children. When his father died when Withers was small, he was raised by his mother and grandmother, both of whom worked as domestics.