Parents Benefit From Support Too

Blog By Rick Arenas, Ph.D.
University of New Mexico

Parents of children who stutter face several unique challenges, ranging from confusion and frustration from trying to understand such an enigmatic issue to knowing how best to help their child when there are conflicting messages coming from the internet, loved ones and even professionals. It is important to have an understanding of the parents experience so that they can receive the best support to improve their quality of life, as well as prepare them to provide a positive environment for their child.

In an attempt to add to the research base regarding parents of children who stutter, a student of mine, Katie Ferguson, and I recently conducted a qualitative study investigating the experience of five parents of children who stutter. We used a narrative approach, where we asked the parents to describe their journey from the time when their child first started stuttering until the present day. We were particularly interested in learning about the role that support groups may play in the trajectory of their journey, so we recruited parents that had attended at least one annual convention of the Friends organization. Friends: The National Association of Young People who Stutter is a national organization that has a large annual convention for kids and parents to connect and create community around the experience of stuttering.

The analysis of the interviews showed that there were many common themes across the parents. All the parents described feelings of confusion, guilt and frustration particularly early in their journey when they were holding on to the belief or hope that stuttering would go away. There was also a common trajectory early on when their child was first in speech therapy and the parents tried to navigate their role in the therapeutic process (Should they expect or encourage the use of speech tools at home? How often?).

However, the most common factor was a strong turning point in the parent’s journey when they attended the Friends annual convention. All of the parents reported a shift in their perspective about stuttering and how this changed how they related to their child’s stuttering. Three of the most discussed benefits were: 1) They no longer felt alone as a parent of a child who stutters, at the convention they met many people dealing with the same issues and challenges. 2) They felt reassured seeing and hearing the stories of older people who stutter who are able to live successfully with stuttering, this reduced the “what’s going to happen to my child?” fear. 3) Through hearing the stories and experiences of other parents and people who stutter, they gained more of a sense of acceptance of stuttering.

This preliminary study adds to the growing body of research that shows that support groups are not only beneficial for people who stutter, but also for caregivers of children who stutter. There are a number of great support groups and resources that can connect people who stutter and family members of people who stutter (see below for a non-exhaustive list). Whether you are a person who stutters, a caregiver/family member or an advocate, there are many potential benefits of getting involved with the broader stuttering community.

From the Winter 2021 Magazine

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Byron Pitts

Byron Pitts has brought much attention to stuttering with his memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges, released in September, 2009. The book not only details his speech difficulties, but also his illiteracy until age 12 and his unstable family life. Pitts overcame the odds to become the chief national correspondent with ABC News.

Frank Wolf

This Virginian congressman has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1981. The longtime supporter of the Stuttering Foundation drew national attention to childhood stuttering in 2006 when he submitted an article about Tiger Woods from the SFA newsletter to the Congressional Record. The congressman is featured in the Stuttering Foundation's Famous People Who Stutter brochure.

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.

Dave Taylor

Dave Taylor has been on the Stuttering Foundation's list of Famous People Who Stutter for many years, but probably few people know all of the unique accomplishments of this former hockey great who was born on December 4, 1955, in Levack, Ontario.