Thoughts on Psuedostuttering as a Learning Tool?
Hello, my name is Chloe and I am a post-baccalaureate communication sciences and disorders major! I was curious how the professionals in the ISAD conference felt about pseudostuttering (also known as voluntary stuttering) assignments? For my fluency class we recently conducted two pseudostuttering interactions, in efforts to develop professional skills and understand the persepective of PWS. I am aware that there have been many ethical concerns with pseudostuttering assignments, and I was curious if any of you have utilized voluntary stuttering with your students? In what ways do you disagree/agree with pseudostuttering as a learning tool?
Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
![]()

Dear Chloe, Great question, and congrats for working through your post baccalaureate program. I’m glad you found the ISAD conference . I hope you stay connected to the stuttering self help community. There are many resources for grad students and SLPs to be found through the National Stuttering Association and Friends: Young People who Stutter.
Voluntary stuttering can be a helpful way to explore some of the feelings that may arise when stuttering openly, including vulnerability and uncertainty about listeners’ responses. If you feel uncomfortable doing this assignment, that discomfort is understandable. I would encourage you to approach it as a learning experience rather than feel like an imposter. You are practicing in a few interactions, and while this cannot capture the full experience of living with stuttering, it may deepen your appreciation of what speaking openly can involve.
All the best, Nora
Hi Chloe, generally speaking I think it is a nice way for grad students to get a little bit into the feeling of stuttering. Of course teachers have to take feelings of students into account. But in general: yes, I consider it useful