Stuttering Still Causes Back-to-School Woes

Contact: Greg Wilson
571-239-7474
greg@curleycompany.com

Free Brochure Offers 8 Tips for Teachers - in English and Spanish

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Aug. 16, 2016) — Back-to-School season is upon us. For some, there is great excitement and anticipation for the new school year. But for others, there is great anxiety-especially for children who stutter and their parents.

When teachers hear a child begin to stutter, the immediate reaction is one of concern mixed with a host of urgent questions.

Should a teacher tell the child who stutters to "slow down and relax?" Should they complete their words? Should they expect the same quality and quantity of work from this student?

The nonprofit Stuttering Foundation answers these and many other questions in its brochure, 8 Tips for Teachers - available now in both English and Spanish.

"Young children are busily learning to talk," explains Lisa Scott, Ph.D. of The Florida State University. "As such, they may make speech 'mistakes,' such as effortless repetitions and prolonging of sounds. In most instances," she adds, "this is very normal. If parents and teachers listen to and answer these young children in a patient, calm, unemotional way, the child's speech will probably return to normal."

"Some children, however, will go beyond the normal and begin to repeat and prolong sounds markedly," explains Dr. Scott. "They may begin to struggle, tense up, and become frustrated in their efforts to talk. These children need help."

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Foundation Spokesperson Jane Fraser
Jane Fraser is president of The Stuttering Foundation and co-author of If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents, 8th edition. She is also vice president of the Action for Stammering Children, Michael Palin Centre, London.

About the Stuttering Foundation
Malcolm Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer, established and endowed the nonprofit Stuttering Foundation in 1947. The Stuttering Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online resources on its Website, www.StutteringHelp.org, including services, referrals and support to people who stutter and their families, as well as support for research into the causes of stuttering.

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In spite of his severe stuttering disability, Bob Love, the son of a sharecropper, rose to become a Chicago Bulls NBA superstar, whose records were eventually surpassed by Michael Jordan. Throughout his entire athletic career, Bob Love kept his stuttering a secret from the fans who adored him, thinking he could do his “talking” on the basketball court.

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Bill Withers

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