Hi there! Our names are Angelique Dominguez, Kayla Dewey, and Kristen DeJuilo. We are graduate SLP students at UofSC. We are currently taking a stuttering course within our program. We have a question that we would love your insight on. Our question is: What guidance/materials or resources backed by research will aid in de-stigmatizing stuttering for both those who stutter and those in the public community? Would these resources alter based on age population or gender?
Thank yu in advance for your insight!
Hello there!
Hope you all are enjoying your course!
Stigma resides where knowledge doesn’t. And so the only way to destigmatize is public education. The stigma that resides in the minds of PWS is basically stemming from the stigma, stereotypes and lack of acceptance in society. Resources are aplenty.. many organisations such as STAMMA, or stuttering foundation, have lots of easy to read material on their websites. The material, of course, differs based on the target audience- teachers, parents, or friends of someone who stutters.
The key to destigmatization, however, is not in knowing that resources exist, and not even in putting these out once every few months. The key lies in destigmatization at an individual level. Normalize talking about stuttering, normalize acceptance of differences with whoever you meet, personally or professionally. If every therapist begins to do this, the change would be gradual, but eventually exponential, wouldn’t it?
In addition, we must, of course, have organized seminars or webinars for sensitizing different sub populations. What helps, from our experience, is to have these during the course of a usual working day at the site of work of the said subpopulation. E.g. rather than organising an educational talk at your hospital or clinic, go to a school and have it in their amphitheatre in one of the free classes.
Such frequent and repeated efforts on an individual basis and on a larger scale would surely convert the environment of a PWS from being a barrier to a facilitator.
Pallavi
Hello, I think Pallavi has given a very thorough answer so I won’t repeat what’s been said! I’d just add, researcher / SLP / person who stutters Michael Boyle has some very interesting publications about stigma if you want to read more about research in this area.
Hope that helps!
Jenny