“People who stutter have the unique opportunity to teach the world to listen,” International Stuttering Awareness Month tells us. About 1 percent of the world’s adults stutter. The other 99 percent of us can help by listening patiently. That’s what inspired students at Michigan State University (MSU) School of Journalism and the MSU Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders to produce this guide. — Joe Grimm, professor emeritus, Michigan State University “The authors and editors of this book seek to create a world in which people who stutter do not face hardships imposed by societal stigma ... a world in which they can be appreciated and valued for what they say rather than how they say it. By reading this book, you are taking an important step in bringing that dream to reality,” says the Foreword by Dr. J. Scott Yaruss, professor of communicative sciences and disorders at MSU and a speech-language pathologist. Sharon Emery, an author, journalist and educator, and a person who stutters, writes in her Introduction, “The extent to which confident speakers and attentive listeners can adapt our various abilities during a single conversation can be our contribution to making the world a better place. No kidding,” This book is part of MSU’s Bias Busters series, which dares to answer basic questions that people don’t ask for fear of offending others or seeming ignorant. The Bias Busters project invites readers to “Turn your curiosity into knowledge.” The dozens of people who worked on this guide see this as an opportunity to teach the world to listen. Take them up on that. This guide is available in paperback and eBook editions, which include videos of people who stutter talking about how others can listen better. Some of the 100 questions are: What is stuttering? Is it OK to call people stutterers? Who typically stutters? Is culture a factor in stuttering acceptance? What is stuttering pride? What do supportive listeners do? Is it better to just ignore stuttering? What happens when listeners interrupt someone who is stuttering? Is it rude to ask someone to repeat themself? What does it feel like to stutter? What kinds of stuttering are there? What is covert stuttering? Do people who stutter avoid certain words or sounds? What causes stuttering? Is stuttering genetic? Does anxiety cause stuttering? Is stuttering contagious? Is stuttering mental or physical? Is stuttering something people are born with? Is stuttering related to Tourette syndrome? How does speech therapy help? Are people who stutter isolated? Do voice assistants such as Siri and Alexa help? Is stuttering a learning disability? How long does stuttering last? What do supportive listeners do? Is it better to just ignore stuttering? What happens when listeners interrupt stutterers? What is helpful eye contact? This guide can help people be better allies to those who stutter. You might be a friend, family member, teacher, employer, co-worker, neighbor, healthcare provider, or journalist. A section on speech therapy can help people who stutter. This concise research-based guide will give you the language and the understanding to listen better and connect more deeply.
