In The News
In The News
The King's Speech has produced more interest in stuttering than the stuttering community has been able to generate over decades. Listen to Susan as she converses with Beth Adams from WHAM radio
Click here to listen to the WHAM Radio interview
One-percent of the adult population and between 2.5 and 5% of children stutter. Stuttering does not discriminate across cultures, race or socio-economic background. However, by age twelve, 4 males for every 1 female stutters. The cause of stuttering appears to have a neurological bases. This alone is often not enough to cause the behaviors we see as "stuttering". As a person experiences stuttering over time, they begin to react to the struggle they have endured. Reacting may come in the form of what we term "secondary behaviors". They may include:
- Use of filler words (um, like, uh, etc)
- Attempts not to speak (pretending not to hear or know an answer, isolating oneself)
- Jerking the body
- Blinking the eyes
- Circumlocuting particular "problem" words (changing words, describing rather than being distinct).
Read what one of Susan's clients has to say about his experience with stuttering and the intensive program he attended at Freedom to Speak.
Click here to read the article in the Messenger Post Newspaper
Norma Holland at Channel 13 WHAM TV, is amazed to discover that stuttering is neurophysiologically based. Find out what else Susan and Norma have to say.
Paul attended one of Susan's intensive summer programs. He makes positive suggestions for what listener's might do to make a person who stutters feel more comfortable. A friend of Paul's remarks, "People Who Stutter Want to Be Free". People who stutter want to feel good about how they communicate. Feeling "good" may not mean you are "stutter-free". It may mean you are able to change some things about stuttering and how it makes you feel. Click on the link to view Susan and Paul's interview!