Emily Blunt and stuttering

Emily found that acting helped her stop stuttering.

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"British actress EMILY BLUNT is forever grateful to a teacher at her former school - for inspiring her to take to the stage and cure her childhood stutter.The Devil Wears Prada star suffered a bad stammer as a schoolgirl, but finally overcame her speech impediment when a teacher urged her to take up acting. She says, "I did have a bad stuttering problem as a child. I'd try to push the words out, but it was so frustrating. My parents took me to speech coaches and relaxation coaches. "It didn't work. Then one of my teachers at school had a brilliant idea and said, 'Why don't you speak in an accent in our school play?' I distanced myself from me through this character, and it was so freeing that my stuttering stopped when I was onstage. It really was a miracle."

The reporters should not have used the word "cure" as my bet is that the stuttering is still there, but she has improved. Many people find that they don't stutter at all in certain situations, but they still stutter in others. In A Stutter's Story published by The Stuttering Foundation of America, Fred Murray talks about not stuttering when he was acting in a school play.

Joe Biden "dealt effectively with stuttering"

Now that Joe Biden has been sworn in as Vice President, people who grew up with him and teased him for his stuttering can see that someone who stutters can make a difference and can do great things. Biden is a great speaker, but wasn't always able to voice his thoughts like he can, now. See these pages for more about Biden and others who have once struggled with stuttering:

http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=725
http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=128

Joe Biden and stuttering

With the inauguration just days away, a new team will be managing the affairs of our country. Joe Biden, a stutterer, will be our next Vice President. I wonder if his being in this office will effect how people view those who stutter. I hope it is a good example of how people who stutter have no affliction with the brain. They only have a problem with the mechanics of speaking. Too many times, people treat those who stutter as if they were dumb. Too many people ridicule someone who stutters. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone learned how to help those who stutter instead of ridiculing them? Other people who have learned to manage their stuttering and have made a name for themselves in various professions can be found here http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=128.

Stuttering and Jeffrey Blitz

"When I was a high school sophomore, I went to my first debate tournament. I blocked on my very first word and stayed blocked on it for the entire 8 minutes I was allocated. I tried to never forget the frustration (and, in a dark way, the humor) of that moment." Jeffrey Blitz, writer and producer of Rocket Science

Find more about an interview with Jeffrey Blitz at http://www.stutteringhelp.org/default.aspx?tabindex=630&tabid=643.

This is certainly an example of the extremely frustrating experiences that people who stutter go through on a daily basis. Not being able to verbalize what you want to say can make anyone frustrated. For those that stutter, knowing that you are not the only one and that many people have gone on to have successful careers after learning how to control their stuttering should give you the determination to learn the techniques and practice them.

A speech therapist who is trained to work with stutterers can be found in every state. Start here if you live in the United States http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=206. Go here http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=207 if you live in another country.