True or False?
True or False: People stutter because they are nervous.
False - let's talk about it.
Truth or Myth - Stuttering is something I can control 100% of the time.
Myth
True or False - It's helpful to finish a person's sentences when they are stuttering.
I am a famous singer... I have red hair and I when I was younger I developed a stutter after a surgery to remove a birthmark. I also went to speech therapy when I was a young boy at the age of 9!
Ed Sheeran
True or False - People who stutter are not smart
False
Truth or Myth - People who stutter can be effective communicators regardless of how much they stutter.
Truth!
True or False - Good listeners maintain eye contact, stay patient, and don't rush the speaker.
True - do you agree?
Those who know me called me a "legendary" actor because of my voice over roles in "Star Wars" where I played Darth Vader. I had a stutter which stayed with me through high school. One thing that I did with my teachers was read poetry out loud in front of my whole class. This is how I felt confident to pursue a career in acting!
James Earl Jones
True or False - Stuttering is a habit
False
Truth or Myth - Citizens of every nation and speakers of every language across the world stutter.
Truth - let's talk about it.
False - how do you feel about this/ has someone ever said these comments to you?
I am too a famous actor. I have starred in the avengers , jurassic park, and I was the voice of Frozone in the Incredibles. I stuttered for my whole childhood. The kids in my class made me feel different all the time, so I eventually stopped speaking for an entire year. What helped me accept my stutter was reading passages out loud to myself, and remind myself that it is okay to stutter even when others don't understand it.
Samuel L. Jackson
True or False - Stuttering is associated with differences in the brain; it is not just a behavior that children learn or pick up from listening to other people who stutter
True!
True or Myth - Stuttering can begin gradually and develop over time, or it can appear suddenly.
True!
BONUS - HARD!! I am an actor, and most of my movies are older so you may not know of them. But, when I was a young boy up through my adult years, I stuttered for nearly 20 years. One thing that helped me to accept my stutter was to join my schools theater program, to act in front of many people! One thing I've told many journalists and newspapers to the younger generation who have a stutter is "never let anyone make you feel like an outcast, because you will never be an outcast".
Bruce Willis
I am a former running back for the Chicago Bears. My first name starts with an A... and my last name starts with a P. My mom and dad noticed I had a stutter around the age of 4. I did not like reading aloud in my classes. I didn't let other students’ teasing stop me, and it paid off. He says "I didn't change one bit. And in school if I had to do a presentation, it may take me five minutes, 10 minutes or even 30 minutes. But I got up there, stood strong and did it. When I stand up to do an interview after a game, I get point across without using any special methods. Just believing in myself."
AJ Peterson