advice to those who stutter SECOND EDITION advice to those who stutter THE STUTTERING FOUNDATION® A Nonprofit Organization Since 1947—Helping Those Who Stutter 3100 Walnut Grove Road, Suite 603 P.O. Box 11749 • Memphis, TN 38111-0749 800-992-9392 901-452-7343 www.stutteringhelp.org Second Edition www.tartamudez.org SFA Publication SFA No. 0009 ISBN 0-933388-39-X Expert help from THE 28 therapists who STUTTERING stutter themselves FOUNDATION® ISBN 0-933388-39-X PUBLICATION NO. 0009 9 7 8 0 9 3 3 3 8 8 3 9 0 Myths about stuttering Winston Churchill John Stossel Marilyn Monroe James Earl Jones Myth: People who stutter are not smart. Did you know... Reality: There is no link whatsoever between stuttering and intelligence. Ⅲ Over three million Americans stutter. Stuttering affects three to four times as many males as females. Myth: Nervousness causes stuttering. Ⅲ Ⅲ Approximately 5% of all children go through a period of stuttering that lasts six months or Reality: Nervousness does not cause stuttering. Nor should we assume that more. Three-quarters of those will recover by late childhood, leaving about 1% with a long- people who stutter are prone to be nervous, fearful, anxious, or shy. term problem. They have the same full range of personality traits as those who do not stutter. Ⅲ Exciting new research in the areas of genetics, neurophysiology, child development, and family dynamics is shedding light on the possible causes of stuttering. As a result, we have made Myth: Stuttering can be “caught” through imitation or by hearing another tremendous progress in the prevention of stuttering in young children. person stutter. Ⅲ Studies show that people who stutter are as intelligent and well-adjusted as those who don’t. Reality: You can’t “catch” stuttering. No one knows the exact causes of Ⅲ People who stutter are often self-conscious about it and may let it determine the vocation they stuttering, but recent research indicates that family history (genetics), choose. neuromuscular development, and the child’s environment, including Ⅲ There are no instant miracle cures for stuttering. family dynamics, all play a role in the onset of stuttering. Ⅲ Stuttering becomes an increasingly formidable problem in the teen years. A qualified clinician can help not only children but also teenagers, young adults, and even Myth: It helps to tell a person to “take a deep breath before talking,” or “think Ⅲ about what you want to say first.” older adults make significant progress toward fluency. James Earl Jones, John Stossel, Annie Glenn, Bill Walton, Mel Tillis, Nicholas Brendon, Alan Reality: This advice only makes a person more self-conscious, making the Ⅲ stuttering worse. More helpful responses include listening patiently Rabinowitz, Robert Merrill, Carly Simon, Ken Venturi, Bob Love, John Updike, Lewis Carroll, and modeling slow and clear speech yourself. King George VI, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, and John Melendez — all famous people who stutter. Myth: Stress causes stuttering. Reality: As mentioned above, many complex factors are involved. Stress is not the cause, but it certainly can aggravate stuttering. The Stuttering Foundation of America is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is classified as a private operating foundation as defined in section 4942(j)(3). Charitable These myth busters are from the flyer Myths About Stuttering, which can be contributions and bequests to the Foundation are tax-deductible, subject to limitations under the Code. downloaded at www.stutteringhelp.org, click on “Brochures for all ages.” If you believe this book has helped you or you wish to help this worthwhile cause, please send a donation to: THE THE STUTTERING STUTTERING ா FOUNDATION FOUNDATIONா A Nonprofit Organization A Nonprofit Organization Since 1947—Helping Those Who Stutter Since 1947—Helping Those Who Stutter 3100 Walnut Grove Road, Suite 603 3100 Walnut Grove Road, Suite 603 P.O. Box 11749 • Memphis, TN 38111-0749 P.O. Box 11749 • Memphis, TN 38111-0749 [email protected] [email protected] 800-992-9392 800-992-9392 www.stutteringhelp.org www.tartamudez.org www.stutteringhelp.org www.tartamudez.org © 2008, Stuttering Foundation of America SECOND EDITION advice to those who stutter THE STUTTERING FOUNDATION® www.stutteringhelp.org www.tartamudez.org advice to those who stutter Publication No. 0009 Second Edition—1998 Third Printing—2003 Fourth Printing—2005 Fifth Printing—2008 Published by Stuttering Foundation of America 3100 Walnut Grove Rd., Suite 603 P. O. Box 11749 Memphis, Tennessee 38111-0749 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-060375 ISBN 0-933388-39-X Copyright © 2008, 2005, 2003, 1998 by Stuttering Foundation of America The Stuttering Foundation of America is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of stuttering. ii preface In 1972, the Stuttering Foundation of America published To the Stutterer. Chapters were contributed by 23 people with a final summary submitted by Charles Van Riper. Each of the contri - butors had personally experienced a significant problem with stuttering, each of them had worked to successfully manage their stuttering problem, and each had the self-confidence to make a contribution to their fellow “brothers and sisters of the tangled tongue.” This original edition has now been reprinted seven times and has been translated into several foreign languages. Now, here we are more than thirty years later, embarking on a second edition. What an undertaking! Many of the original contributors are now deceased. Those who are still living were asked either to write an updated chapter or give permission to reprint their original chapter. The four original contributors who wrote new chapters include Joseph Agnello, Richard Boehmler, Hugo Gregory and J. David Williams. Gerald Moses and Fred Murray made only minimal changes in their original chapters. The ten new contributors to the current edition each have a story to tell. They reflect upon their own personal histories with stuttering, and they reflect upon the clinical work they have done with others who stutter. Each contributor has captured the essence of their clinical thinking and condensed it into short, readable chapters of approximately 2,000 words. As editor, I applaud them for their ability to reduce scores of pages down to the “bare essentials” and realize that there is much more that could have been said. I appreciate their understanding. Times have changed since 1972 when I edited the first edition of To the Stutterer. Back then we corresponded by telephone and U.S. Mail. My wife and I retyped all the chapters, and did so many times. I kept track not only of the costs of postage and paper, but also the costs of typewriter ribbons. For the 1998 iii version of Advice To Those Who Stutter, things were different. We corresponded via e-mail, and I managed to use only one ink jet cartridge. Those of you who read this book will live vicariously through the experiences of the contributors. I am personally honored to have known most of the contributors to the 1972 edition of To the Stutterer. I am honored to know all of the contributors to this new edition of Advice To Those Who Stutter. I consider them to be my good colleagues and friends, and I thank them for allowing me the honor, privilege and responsibility to edit and help nurture their work. Stephen B. Hood, Ph.D. iv original foreword from 1972 This is a remarkable book of therapy advice. Nothing like it has ever been published before. What makes it unique and unusual is that every article in this book has been written by men and women who stutter themselves. Each one of them has been ‘through the mill’ and knows what it is to have experienced the fear, anxiety and despair which is so often the lot of the stutterer. They know your problem. Also all of the authors of these articles are now or have been speech pathologists. This means that they are experienced and trained in helping others with their speech problems—and they have written these articles to help you deal effectively with your stuttering. They represent a most distinguished array of authority and prestige in the field of stuttering. Included among them are sixteen who are or have been university professors of speech pathology, six who are or have been heads of speech pathology departments in such institutions, twelve who are or have been directors of speech and hearing clinics, and they include one psychiatrist, nine Fellows of the American Speech-Language- Hearing Association, and nine authors of books on the therapy of stuttering. Although these writers do not all agree as to exactly what you should do to overcome your difficulty, there is a lot of uniformity in their recommendations and in their thinking. We believe that their ideas will help you. We are publishing this book in your interest and hope that you will make use of it. Malcolm Fraser Stuttering Foundation of America v The Stuttering Foundation of America is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of stuttering. If you feel that this book has helped you, send a contribution to Stuttering Foundation of America, 3100 Walnut Grove Road, Suite 603, P.O. Box 11749, Memphis, TN 38111-0749. Contributions are tax deductible. vi contents CHAPTER PAGE preface . iii original foreword . v 1 express yourself or go by freight . 1 Lon L. Emerick, Ph.D. Northern Michigan University, Marquette* 2 managing your stuttering versus your stuttering managing you . 7 Dorvan H. Breitenfeldt, Ph.D. Eastern Washington University 3 stuttering: what you can do about it . 13 Margaret Rainey, M.A. Shorewood Public Schools, Wisconsin* 4 two sides of the coin . 19 Hugo H. Gregory, Ph.D.