Blog by Riley Smithson (aka Shrimpnose) My name is Riley, and I make electronic music under the name “Shrimpnose.” Communicating with the world around me has been challenging - as I’m sure it’s been for other speech-impaired people. I started to stutter around 5 years old. Growing up in different social environments was difficult, mostly because of people’s lack of education on the subject. I was hyper-sensitive to the perceived ridicule and mockery I would receive from other kids, teachers, or people out in the real world. I remember countless times trying to order something while out to ea ..read more

Blog by Brittany Rodriguez Do you have a favorite coffee order? One of my favorite orders at Starbucks is a Venti White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha. It’s my go-to order during the holidays and one I turn to when I’m needing comfort during the year. For those who stutter, being able to order exactly what you want is not as simple as pulling up into the drive-through and making your request. Before the time of Uber eats, Postmates or making an online order through an app, we had no choice but to order with our voice. This requires verbally making your request face-to-face, through a drive-throu ..read more

Blog By Madeline Wahl "Virtual Stutter: Remote Communication" is a photo series with images that highlight some of the complexities which arose when stutterers communicated virtually during an unprecedented pandemic. Shifting communication to mostly virtual platforms allowed ease of communication. However, complications also popped up during this shift. The use of face masks has helped decrease the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. While wearing a face mask is essential to ensuring the safety of themselves and those around them, it does hinder communications. How will someo ..read more

A Blog by Daniel Shaw If you are like most school-based SLPs, the start of a school year is a mixed bag of hopes, ambitions, optimism, and, of course, logistics. We serve a wide range of needs and children who stutter can get lost among the myriad challenges of autism, AAC, and IEPs. Perhaps graduate school did not include a course on stuttering, or you’ve only served one or two children who stutter in the last five or even ten years. If this or similar scenarios is true for you, consider adding a few strategic questions to your arsenal. The questions we will discuss in this brief article ca ..read more

Jordan Northrup has served in the United States Marine Corps from August 2003 to the present. During that time, he commanded at the platoon and company level, served as special and primary staff, and as an action and liaison officer as well. In 2015, he transferred from active duty to the USMC Reserves and continues to support the Marine Corps as a Federal Civilian employee, stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico. He holds the rank of Major. Jordan sat down with the Stuttering Foundation to discuss his unique experience of bravely facing the challenge of stuttering in the military. Did stut ..read more

Blog By James Hayden If you’ve been in the stuttering world long enough, then you’ve heard the popular stuttering iceberg analogy. For those unfamiliar with it, allow me to explain. Only 10 percent of the iceberg is visible, while the remaining 90 percent is underneath the surface. Likewise, only 10 percent of stuttering is visible, while the remaining 90 percent is beneath the surface. During a stuttering moment, the audience sees: the head jerks, the blocks, the lack of eye contact, and the other minute details associated with stuttering. What the audience doesn’t see is the 90 percent tha ..read more

Blog by James Hayden Following are the results of an “Ask Me Anything” exchange hosted by James Hayden on his Facebook Account earlier this month in observance of National Stuttering Awareness Week. 1. What is the biggest misconception people have about stuttering, in your experience? The typical misconceptions are that I’m nervous or lying during a stuttering moment. I’ve been accused of those numerous times over numerous stuttering moments. However, the biggest misconception is people assuming I don’t know what I’m talking about when I stutter. I’m knowledgeable about a lot of topics. Some ..read more

Blog by Jordan Northrup You wake up to an average day after sleeping soundly through the night. You get your morning coffee and start thinking about your day. You’ve got to get your kids to school. You need to get to work. After work you have a few errands to run, then you need to get home to get dinner going. Soon you start to feel overwhelmed by all the moving pieces. Sound familiar? Here’s another one. You go to the doctor for your routine physical. They do the normal tests, but then call you back because your blood work has abnormalities. Cancer? But you’re only 35?! Suddenly, things beg ..read more

A blog by James Hayden The look. Everyone has their own definition of it, but we all know what it means. It's the hard-to-describe look a parent or teacher gave you that said, "You need to get your act together in the next 0.005 seconds or else." If you're a person who stutters (PWS), "the look" has a second definition. I don't need to describe it to you. You know exactly what I'm talking about. For those who don't stutter, it's hard to accurately describe "the look." It's an expression that blends embarrassment, being uncomfortable, sympathy, wanting to help but not knowing what to do, not ..read more

Blog By James Hayden A couple months ago, I went for my yearly well visit. On my “after visit summary,” I noticed that stuttering was listed under the medical history section. If that had been on my previous after visit summaries, then I never noticed it. At first, I found it interesting because I had never disclosed to my doctors that I’m a person who stutters (PWS). I’ve had the same medical team for a few years and they know I’m a PWS; however, I’ve never directly disclosed to them. Yes, I sometimes wear stuttering related t-shirts to my appointments, but I never said, “Hi, Dr. Smith. You ..read more