Spero Stuttering

We are Spero Stuttering, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a heart for the stuttering community. From scholarships and training to book clubs and engaging events, we're here to make a difference, foster understanding, and promote positive change for people who stutter. We’re here to support: ✅ People who stutter ✅ Parents, caregivers, and family members ✅ Educators ✅ SLPs seeking evidence-based approaches to working with people who stutter And we’d love to have you join us on our journey! You can: ✉️ Join our email newsletter 🤝 Become a part of our community through in-person and virtual events ❤️ Like, follow, and share our posts and resources 📲 Reach out to learn how to become an Ally of Stuttering® or a supporter of our organization 💸 Become a donor Visit SperoStuttering.org to learn more, or head to our profile to find links to all our resources and socials! #SperoStuttering #AllyofStuttering #SLPtraining #StutteringTherapy #SpeechTherapy #CommunicationDisorders #EarlyIntervention #SchoolSLP #PediatricSpeechTherapy #SpeechAndLanguage

Have you ever heard of bibliotherapy? It's the therapeutic use of carefully selected books that involves reading books based on their themes, reflecting on their content, and engaging with them in a structured therapeutic setting. Bibliotherapy can help people better understand their own conditions, connect with characters experiencing similar challenges, develop effective coping strategies, gain valuable insights on working through challenges, and build self-belief and confidence in their own capabilities. 👀 Stay tuned! A new bibliotherapy resource for stuttering intervention is coming soon! #Bibliotherapy #StoryBookTherapy #SperoStuttering #AllyofStuttering #SpeechTherapy #SLPLife #SLPGradStudent #SLPGradSchool #SLPCommunity #EarlyIntervention #SpeechAndLanguage #SpeechPathologist #ParentingTips

On October 17, our co-founder and treasurer Rachel Dawson completed the Rim-To-Rim Challenge! This iconic hike through the Grand Canyon spans 24 miles from the North Rim to the South Rim, with 5,150 feet total ascent, and generally takes 9-14 hours to complete. It requires a significant amount of training and preparation, and less than one percent of the Grand Canyon’s 5-6 million annual visitors do it. This hike is a mentally and physically challenging feat, and it takes endurance and challenging your personal limits to complete. Here’s what Rachel had to say about her experience: “We did it!! Down North Kaibab Trail and up Bright Angel Trail at the Grand Canyon with some amazing friends. Total of around 24 miles, started at 4:40 am and finished at 5:15 pm including rest times, lots and lots of elevation gain with the last 3 miles being brutal and completely uphill at around 13% grade. Words and pictures cannot describe the amazing beauty of God’s creation—I was touched by His presence all around me! This is the most physically and mentally challenging experience I’ve ever had, but totally worth it.” We’re inspired by Rachel’s achievement, and reminded of how perseverance and determination are key ingredients to overcoming obstacles, challenges, and fears in any aspect of life. Thank you, Rachel, for inspiring us to strive for greatness and joy! #RimToRimChallenge #GrandCanyon #sperostuttering #allyofstuttering #speechtherapy #slplife #slpgradstudent #slpgradschool #slpcommunity #earlyintervention #speechandlanguage #speechpathologist

🖋️ Get registered for the ASHA SIG 4 PDH Event! Spero President Ana Paula Mumy will be presenting a virtual talk on November 6 from 6:00-7:15pm CST (7:00-8:15pm EST). The topic is: “Bilingual Children Who Stutter - Is forced monolingualism ever warranted in the life of a bilingual child who stutters?” This live event (with PDHs) will assist SLPs in developing cultural responsiveness as it pertains to working with families of bilingual children who stutter. Rather than treating bilingualism as a “demand” or “burden” on a child’s linguistic system, we’ll be looking at the role of language and culture when considering clinical and client evidence in treatment decisions. We’ll explore: ☑️ Guiding principles for effective family-centered treatment ☑️ Practical recommendations for working with bilingual children who stutter and their families Register here: https://lnkd.in/g2q5sw6p #SIG4 #ASHA #VirtualLearning #sperostuttering #allyofstuttering #speechtherapy #slplife #slpgradstudent #slpgradschool #slpcommunity #earlyintervention #speechandlanguage #speechpathologist

Meet Kayla Kaplan, MA, CCC-SLP! We asked Kayla how she became interested in working with people who stutter: "During my undergraduate education, I had the opportunity to work with college students who stutter covertly. I realized then that despite the presence or absence of disfluencies, people who stutter may still experience a profound impact. This showed me that there is a really important role for speech therapists in helping people who stutter, beyond working on fluency. Since then, I knew I wanted to pursue further education about stuttering." What does the Spero Ally of Stuttering® Seal mean to Kayla? "I chose to become an Ally of Stuttering® SLP because it is important to me to learn about the lived experience of those who do stutter in order to provide the most effective, most informed, client-centered treatment. Especially as I am not a person who stutters, I want to be able to demonstrate my commitment to my clients and students." Kayla Kaplan, MA, CCC-SLP Owner & SLP at Seaboard Speech Therapy Licensed in Virginia and Maryland IG - @seaboardspeech FB - Seaboard Speech Therapy - Looking for an Ally of Stuttering® in your area? Use the Spero Ally of Stuttering® therapists directory hosted by Myspeech (link in bio). Interested in becoming a Spero Ally of Stuttering®? Visit SperoStuttering.Org to learn more. #sperostuttering #allyofstuttering #speechtherapy #slplife #slpgradstudent #slpgradschool #slpcommunity #earlyintervention #speechandlanguage #speechpathologist #parentingtips

Today’s #ISAD2024 Online Conference feature comes from Ridwana Miah, a paralegal specializing in disability law, as well as a person who stutters and a volunteer in the Canadian Stuttering Association: “How Different Societies Approach Stuttering: A Cultural Perspective to Listening to PWS” As SLPs, understanding the differences in cultural norms, beliefs, perceptions, and stigma is a vital part of our work with diverse families. This insight is very impactful as we consider our work with bicultural families: “Parents, often driven by concerns and cultural pressures, may find themselves over-explaining their child’s stutter, detailing its development and causes in an attempt to normalize it or defend their child’s capabilities. These behaviors stem from a deep-seated shame or embarrassment, which are driven by societal expectations and the perception towards disabilities… In doing so, parents miss the opportunity of intently listening to their child and accepting them as they are, without the need for overcompensation or excess justification.” Much food for thought and action here! Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/g35GmBrD #StutteringAwareness #PeopleWhoStutter #ISAD #Stutter #Stuttering #SLPs #SpeechLanguagePathology #SpeechTherapy #SLPLife #SLPGradStudent #SLPGradSchool #SLPCommunity #EarlyIntervention #SpeechAndLanguage #SpeechPathologist

Thank you to James Panico, PhD, CCC-SLP, for speaking at our STEAR Circle this week! Dr. Panico shared on “The Power and Importance of Counseling and Active Listening,” a critical skill for SLPs to learn when working with people who stutter. We explored our role in counseling and active listening, completing a "How Well Are You Listening Survey" to assess and reflect on our listening abilities. To conclude, James shared a thought-provoking quote by Dean Jackson: “Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, other over self.” #STEARCircle #SperoStuttering #AllyofStuttering #SLPtraining #StutteringTherapy #SpeechTherapy #CommunicationDisorders #EarlyIntervention #SchoolSLP #PediatricSpeechTherapy #SpeechAndLanguage

Today’s #ISAD2024 Online Conference feature comes from Pamela Mertz, a past board member of the International Stuttering Association and the USA National Stuttering Association, a blogger at www.stutterrockstar.com, and the host of the “Women Who Stutter: Our Stories” podcast, as well as a 2022 inductee into the National Stuttering Association Hall of Fame: “When I Stutter and You Don’t Listen” For more than 35 years, Pamela was a covert stutterer, hiding a part of her that she feared would cause her pain and humiliation. But when she found her authentic voice through support groups and time in her local Toastmasters chapter, she could no longer stay silent. This poignant, heartfelt, and honest spoken word poem brings to the surface so many of the emotions and experiences many people who stutter encounter on a daily basis. Yet even through the pain, the message is clear: when you can be your authentic self, and speak with your authentic voice, you can finally live life to its fullest. “The journey’s long and I’m still walking. But I’m strong and I’ll keep talking. And you should listen, because what we say is worth repeating every day.” Find the full poem here: https://lnkd.in/gExR5phf #StutteringAwareness #PeopleWhoStutter #ISAD #Stutter #Stuttering #SLPs #SpeechLanguagePathology #SpeechTherapy #SLPLife #SLPGradStudent #SLPGradSchool #SLPCommunity #EarlyIntervention #SpeechAndLanguage #SpeechPathologist

Happy International Stuttering Awareness Day 2024! Help us celebrate by sharing your story today with a photo and the hashtag #ISAD2024. You’ll find even more stories from people who stutter at ISAD.live—head over and check them out! Let’s continue raising awareness about stuttering and promoting understanding and support for individuals who stutter! #StutteringAwareness #PeopleWhoStutter #ISAD #Stutter #Stuttering #SLPs #SpeechLanguagePathology #SpeechTherapy #SLPLife #SLPGradStudent #SLPGradSchool #SLPCommunity #EarlyIntervention #SpeechAndLanguage #SpeechPathologist

With the minimal instruction required in the areas of stuttering and cluttering, it’s even more important to build teaching modules in ways that maximize the impact on students in the discipline of speech-language pathology. In “Designing a Module on Stuttering and Cluttering: A Guide for Speech-Language Pathology Educators,” authors Amy Connery and Caitríona Ní Shé help curriculum designers build better modules in response to the challenges in SLP education. This article outlines the All Ireland Society for Higher Education (AISHE) model, a framework for designing or revising modules in higher education, in order to enhance speech-language pathology education on stuttering and cluttering. Highlights of this comprehensive framework include: 🟨 Student-centered, outcomes-based, and aligned learning outcomes, teaching methods and activities, and assessments. 🟨 Balances traditional topics with emerging concepts like neurodiversity and holistic approaches to treatment. 🟨 Incorporates simulation-based learning and problem-based learning. 🟨 Emphasizes the importance of both summative and formative assessment in module design to improve student learning, with recommendation to increase use of formative assessment such as written/oral feedback on drafts, self-review activities, and peer-review exercises. 🟨 Addresses AI challenges and preparing for tools like ChatGPT in education. Utilizing this framework can provide more effective instruction and evaluation processes to make the most of the limited time available for focus areas like stuttering and cluttering, providing more context and tools for SLPs upon graduation. Find the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gyZaD22A #SpeechTherapist #Stuttering #InstructionalDesign #AISHE #SLPGradStudent #Stutter #SperoStuttering #AllyOfStuttering #SLPTraining #SpeechTherapy #SLPsWhoStutter #CommunicationDisorders #SchoolSLP #PediatricSpeechTherapy #SpeechAndLanguage