By Craig Coleman and Mary Weidner
Stuttering is a complex disorder that involves much more than brief disruptions in speech. Stuttering can lead to negative emotions and thoughts toward speaking and reduce a person’s ability to effectively communicate with others. More than three million people in the United States stutter, including several celebrities, e.g. James Earl Jones, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Joe Biden and Tiger Woods.
For children who stutter, the disorder can lead to decreased participation in social and academic settings. Children may feel isolated, as they often do not know anyone else who stutters and often benefit from meeting other children who stutter. In 2014, the Marshall University Department of Communication Disorders began Stuttering U., a summer program designed for children who stutter, their families and speech-language pathologists. While the department directs the camp, the many student volunteers are vital to making the camp successful.
Stuttering U. serves to educate children, families, students and speech-language pathologists through two different types of events. The first is a summer camp for children who stutter and their families. At the summer camp, Marshall students work to educate families and encourage confidence in the children who attend. Secondly, Stuttering U. serves as a continuing education resource for speech-language pathologists, offering them a chance to meet with other pathologists and learn about the newest developments in the speech and language fields.
The three-day summer camp portion of Stuttering U. allows children to meet and interact in a fun, supportive environment. Children have an opportunity learn about stuttering, take communication risks and develop meaningful relationships with their peers. Participants are empowered to discover their voices in order to become more confident and effective communicators. Parents have an opportunity to participate in the parent track, which provides parents with practical knowledge and tips to support the communication needs of their child.
Jay Amick attended the camp last year with his son, Joel. “My wife and I spent many months, at many doctors’ offices and hospitals, trying to figure out how to help Joel with his stuttering,” says Amick. “In three days, program leaders Craig Coleman and Mary Weidner and the wonderful students at Marshall gave us, as well as Joel, more information about stuttering than we had been able to receive in the past year. The camp was such a blessing in our struggle to understand the whys, the whats and the how comes. Joel had a blast with the activities they had planned, especially the rock climbing. He also was very reassured when we left camp that working with his speech therapist at school would now be easier because he better understand what is going on and that it is OK to stutter.”
While Amick was able to see the benefits of the camp from a parent perspective, several graduate students in the Marshall University Department of Communication Disorders were able to see the progress the children made from a student perspective.
Graduate students Anne Gibson, Chelsea Schmidt and Lindsey Miller all noted the support system component to the camp. “Stuttering U. provided the children who attended a support system. It allowed them to see that it is OK to stutter,” says Schmidt. “I loved observing the children as they worked and played together. In such a short time, it was obvious they were becoming more knowledgeable about stuttering and that they were learning to become advocates for themselves and others.”
“I have been able to see kids and teenagers leave our camp with positive attitudes about themselves and the knowledge that they aren’t alone in their struggle with stuttering,” says Gibson. “Not only do kids get to listen and relate to others’ experiences with stuttering, but they are educated about stuttering so that they are able to become empowered and self-advocate for themselves as a person who stutters.”
“Stuttering U. is a wonderful experience for children who stutter and their families because it provides a support system as well as a foundation for friendships,” says Miller. “Ultimately, Stuttering U. strives to encourage students to bravely embrace differences and understand the importance of being a unique individual.”
In addition to the opportunities for children who stutter and their families, Stuttering U. provides an opportunity for students to learn more about stuttering and increase their interest in working with people who stutter.
Jessica Gambill and Katie Damron, seniors in the communication disorders department, volunteered at the camp last year. “For the volunteers, it gives us a perspective on what challenges these children face and how we can help make it easier for them,” says Gambill.
“I had the privilege of working at the first Stuttering U. camp last summer,” says Damron. “I was exposed to an entirely new population I will be working with after I get my degree, and it was an unbelievable experience. The bonds made between the campers and those working made all of the work worthwhile.”
The two-day continuing education portion of Stuttering U. provides speech-language pathologists with current research on best clinical practices in childhood stuttering. Content focuses on the nature and causes of stuttering, evaluation, treatment, report and goal writing and counseling. Professionals who attended last year’s event were able to significantly increase their knowledge of stuttering, ability to write measurable objectives and ability to identify assessment and treatment principles.
This year, Marshall University and West Virginia University will once again partner to host the camp. The dates and locations are as follows:
Huntington, WV
Marshall University
June 23-24: Continuing Education event for speech-language pathologists and students
June 25-27: Summer camp for children who stutter and their families
Morgantown, WV
West Virginia University
July 23-24: Continuing education event only
For more information on the camp, visit www.stutteringu.com or email Craig Coleman at craig.coleman@marshall.edu.
About the Authors
Craig Coleman is co-director of Stuttering U. He is an assistant professor at Marshall University where he teaches courses on fluency disorders, directs the Marshall University Stuttering Clinic and is engaged in various stuttering research projects. Coleman is a speech-language pathologist and board certified specialist in fluency disorders. He directs the Virtual Stuttering Center and serves as coordinator of the American-Speech-Language Hearing Association Special Interest Group on Fluency Disorders.
Mary Weidner is co-director of Stuttering U. She is a speech-language pathologist and doctoral student at West Virginia University (WVU) where she studies stuttering and counseling. Weidner is directing several studies aimed to measure and improve public attitudes toward people who stutter. In 2014, she traveled to Turkey where she initiated a collaborative research project to investigate stuttering attitudes of preschool children. Before returning for doctoral studies, Weidner worked clinically at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and continues to provide teletherapy services.
