National Stuttering Awareness Week begins May 7,  providing an opportunity to strengthen our understanding about an easily misunderstood topic.

 Over the years, Hollywood has done a disservice to those who stutter by poking fun at it and mischaracterizing it. From Porky Pig to movies like My Cousin Vinny, characters that stutter were written in for laughs.  An old western depicts a young boy “cured” of stuttering by standing up to John Wayne, suggesting he just needed to “toughen up.” But this is far from the truth, and it’s no laughing matter.

More than 70 million people worldwide stutter.  A number of factors are involved in the cause of stuttering, including hereditary traits, differences in neurological signals, and environmental contributors.  Stuttering is not due to a lack of intelligence, social skill or effort. Early quality intervention by a trained speech pathologist can make a big difference. But in many cases chronic stuttering will be a lifelong challenge.  For most people, speaking is an effortless task. For someone who stutters, they are faced with the difficult juggling act of managing “what” they are saying and “how” they are saying it. In the heat of the moment, with conversational pressures, the anxiety of failing, and the concern about what others might think, implementing techniques that help control stuttering is a daunting task.

There are some things we, as listeners, can do.  Be patient. Slow your own pace down slightly, to help set a relaxed conversational tone.  Increase response-time latency by adding 1-2 second pauses between speaking turns. Don’t fill in their words for them even if you think you know what they want to say.  Be positive. Smile and show a supportive expression, but not one of pity.

We can help by educating our own children on what stuttering is so they will be supportive when they see it.  Chances are someone in their school stutters. If we help our children to understand and be supportive, we can make a huge difference in the direction that person’s day goes, perhaps even the way their life goes.

During National Stuttering Awareness week, please educate your children on stuttering.  Sit down with them and look up some famous people who have dealt with stuttering (Ed Sheeran, Tiger Woods, etc). Coach them to be supportive and encouraging.  

Hollywood may have made poor choices, but we can do better.  Nobody chooses to stutter. But we have a choice in how we respond, and how we support.  Please be the difference in the life of someone who is dealing with this monumental challenge.

Andrew McCormack is a speech pathologist and fluency specialist.  He works for the Greece Central School District and teaches a Fluency Disorders course at Nazareth College.

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