12 THINGS EVERY SLP SHOULD KNOW FROM A PERSON WHO STUTTERS MARYANN D. NELSON, MA, CCC-SLP SPARTANBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT 6

DISCLOSURE MARYANN NELSON, MA, CCC-SLP RELEVANT NON-FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS: MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL STUTTERING ASSOCIATION (NSA) FOR 8 YEARS CO-CHAPTER LEADER OF THE GREENVILLE/SPARTANBURG CHAPTER OF THE NSA

NSA WELCOMING WORDS WELCOME TO THE SCSHA CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL STUTTERING ASSOCIATION. THE NATIONAL STUTTERING ASSOCIATION IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO BRINGING HOPE AND EMPOWERMENT TO CHILDREN AND ADULTS WHO STUTTER, THEIR FAMILIES, AND PROFESSIONALS THROUGH SUPPORT, EDUCATION, ADVOCACY, AND RESEARCH. IF YOU ARE A PERSON WHO STUTTERS, OR HAVE A SPECIAL INTEREST IN STUTTERING, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE. FOR THE TIME WE MEET HERE, THIS ROOM IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE.

NSA WELCOMING WORDS IT IS A PLACE WHERE WE ARE ACCEPTED AND SUPPORTED IT IS A PLACE WHERE WE CAN RELAX AND SPEAK FREELY; IT IS A PLACE WHERE WE CAN STUTTER OPENLY WITHOUT FEAR AND EMBARRASSMENT; IT IS A PLACE WHERE WE CAN PRACTICE WHATEVER SPEAKING AND COMMUNICATING TECHNIQUES WITH WHICH WE MAY FEEL COMFORTABLE. TOGETHER, WE WILL HELP EACH OTHER AND WE WILL HELP OURSELVES TO ACCEPT AND COPE WITH OUR STUTTERING, TO BUILD OUR SELF-CONFIDENCE, AND TO IMPROVE OUR VERBAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITIES.

NSA WELCOMING WORDS WE WHO STUTTER, AND THOSE WHO SUPPORT AND HELP US, ARE NOT ALONE. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG.

HELLO, MY NAME IS MARYANN, AND… MARRIED GRADUATED FROM SC STATE UNIVERSITY WITH A BACHELORS AND MASTERS DEGREE SPEECH/LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST CURRENTLY LIVE IN SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA MEMBER OF NATIONAL STUTTERING ASSOCIATION AND CO-CHAPTER LEADER PERSON WHO STUTTERS

POINT # 1 DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE PERSON WHO STUTTERS, WE WON’T BITE!

POINT #2 BUT…HANDLE THE PERSON WHO STUTTERS WITH CARE

POINT #3 IT’S IMPORTANT TO MAKE REDUCING THE FEAR AND AVOIDANCE ASSOCIATED WITH STUTTERING AN IMPORTANT PART OF THERAPY.

SHOULD WE WORK WITH FEAR?

POINT #4 COVERT STUTTERING IS JUST AS SERIOUS AS OVERT STUTTERING

PAM: HER COVERT STORY

POINT #5 BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CLIENT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THERAPY. TRUST IS EVERYTHING!

POINT #6 ITS IMPORTANT TO CONNECT THE CLIENT TO A STUTTERING COMMUNITY: -NATIONAL STUTTERING ASSOCIATION- LARGEST ORGANIZATION IN THE US FOR PEOPLE WHO STUTTER: CHAPTERS IN COLUMBIA, GREENVILLE/SPARTANBURG, AND HARTSVILLE -STUTTERSOCIAL -FACEBOOK GROUPS: STUTTER UNITE, THE STUTTERING LOUNGE, STUTTERING HANGOUT, ETC

POINT #7 SLPS SHOULD CONNECT WITH OTHER SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS WHO KNOW MORE ABOUT FLUENCY: ALICE ANNE FARLEY- BOARD CERTIFIED FLUENCY SPECIALIST, COLUMBIA, SC JUDITH MARTIN- BOARD CERTIFIED FLUENCY SPECIALIST, CAMDEN, SC

POINT #8 ITS GREAT TO MAKE A FLUENCY “GRAB BAG” OF TECHNIQUES…

FLUENCY STRATEGIES? WOULD YOU LIKE A DEMONSTRATION OF A STRATEGY THAT YOU HAVE JUST BEEN CONFUSED ABOUT? LIMIT TO 3 ALL TOGETHER!

POINT #9 EVERY CLIENT WILL STUTTER DIFFERENTLY AND USE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES.

POINT #10 ITS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A FAMILY APPROACH TO THERAPY.

POINT #11 TRASH THE PHRASE, “MAKE YOU MORE FLUENT,” AND LETS USE SOME “DIFFERENT” WORDS: “DIFFERENT WAY OF SPEAKING” (COLOR ME FLUENT) NEW SPEECH PATTERN HELP TO MANAGE DYSFLUENCY

POINT #12 REMEMBER…THERE IS NO “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” ROUTINE FOR PEOPLE WHO STUTTER

LAST MINUTE ADVICE…

NSA CLOSING WORDS MAY THE SPIRIT WE HAVE SHARED TODAY HELP OUR SPEECH IN THE COMING WEEKS, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN. MAY WE GO FORTH GLADLY INTO SPEAKING SITUATIONS, WITHOUT FORCE OR STRUGGLE, ACCEPTING OURSELVES REGARDLESS OF OUR FLUENCY, AND LISTENING ALWAYS TO THE MUSIC OF OUR VOICES. WE ARE NOT ALONE. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG.

QUESTIONS? ?

BIBLIOGRAPHY STUTTERING ONLINE THERAPY, “10 IMPORTANT THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STUTTERING” BY BARBARA BAHM PRESENTATION TO ST. XAVIER UNDERGRADUATE FLUENCY CLASS, JIM MCCLURE ADVICE TO THOSE WHO STUTTER, STUTTERING FOUNDATION

THANK YOU & CONTACT INFO I HAVE TRULY FELT BLESSED AND HUMBLED TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT HERE AT SCSHA. I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL SUPPORT AND LOVE THAT WAS SHOWN TO ME IN PERSON AND ON FACEBOOK THE PAST FEW MONTHS. PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO CONTACT ME: MARYANN NELSON, MA, CCC-SLP; SPECIAL THANKS TO: DR. FLAURETTE DAVIS, PHD, CCC-SLP NSA-GREENVILLE/SPARTANBURG CHAPTER NSA AND OTHER STUTTERING FRIENDS