Understanding Stammering or Stuttering

This book is a fantastic resource for parents and families, as well as for teaching staff and support workers. The authors state their hope that this book will help parents and families understand what stammering is and how it affects children, parents and families, as well as providing useful advice on how to support the child who stammers. These readable, clearly presented chapters are very likely to achieve this.

Understanding Stammering or Stuttering provides an informative and engaging introduction to stuttering for parents, teachers, and others in the lives of people who stutter. The authors are a speech therapist at the acclaimed Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children in Britain, and a medical journalist whose son received speech therapy from the Centre. Their knowledge and experience are seamlessly combined to dispel popular myths and to present reliable basic information and useful advice on how to improve the lives of those who stutter.... With stuttering still a highly misunderstood disorder, the release of Understanding Stammering or Stuttering is most welcome. Parents and teachers, and indeed anyone in the life of someone who stutters, will certainly benefit from this easily approachable introduction. Those who already know about the medical side of stuttering will learn about the human side of the experience from the many comments by those who stutter. Kelman and Whyte have performed a great service by giving those who stutter a clear voice in how they want to be viewed and treated by the larger society.

A book that explains stammering in a concise, accessible manner and uses the voices of children and young people to explain how it feels from their viewpoint, clears up the myths that surround it and offers a wealth of advice as to how parents, teachers and friends can help and support, is surely a real treasure. This book does all that and more.

A book that explains stammering in a concise, accessible manner and uses the voices of children and young people to explain how it feels from their viewpoint, clears up the myths that surround it and offers a wealth of advice as to how parents, teachers and friends can help and support, is surely a real treasure. This book does all that and more.

Understanding Stammering or Stuttering provides an informative and engaging introduction to stuttering for parents, teachers, and others in the lives of people who stutter... What most sets this book apart is its focus on the human experience of those who stutter and their families... Kelman and Whyte have performed a great service by giving those who stutter a clear voice in how they want to be viewed and treated by the larger society.

Understanding Stammering or Stuttering provides an informative and engaging introduction to stuttering for parents, teachers, and others in the lives of people who stutter. The authors are a speech therapist at the acclaimed Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children in Britain, and a medical journalist whose son received speech therapy from the Centre. Their knowledge and experience are seamlessly combined to dispel popular myths and to present reliable basic information and useful advice on who to improve the lives of those who stutter.... With stuttering still a highly misunderstood disorder, the release of Understanding Stammering or Stuttering is most welcome. Parents and teachers, and indeed anyone in the life of someone who stutters, will certainly benefit from this easily approachable introduction. Those who already know about the medical side of stuttering will learn about the human side of the experience from the many comments by those who stutter. Kelman and Whyte have performed a great service by giving those who stutter a clear voice in how they want to be viewed and treated by the larger society.

Elaine Kelman and Alison Whyte's book is written in the spirit of openness and participation. It covers most of the things you ever wanted to know about stammering but never dared ask. Above all, it puts the voice of the young person at the heart of the book. As the authors say in their introduction, “the child who stammers is the only expert”… To all those who stammer, who are parents or teachers, or sons and daughters of people who stammer, this book will bring hope and comfort. And yes, help to transform lives too.

Kelman and Whyte's book will be a powerful antidote to the mystery and misunderstanding that surround stuttering. The book is chock full of good, up-to-date information about the possible cause of stuttering, what makes stuttering better or worse, and how children and parents feel about stuttering. There are valuable tips for parents about how to respond to your child's stuttering, what goes on in therapy, and where to get even more information. Readers will appreciate the clear, lively writing, and the many quotations from children who stutter and their parents.

The book is co written by a specialist speech and language therapist and by a journalist and health writer who is a parent of child who stammers... The authors sensitively reflect the views of children... The book gently and emphatically explore how it feels to stammer, what helps those who stammer, what is found to be unhelpful, explore myths and challenges assumptions. There are useful factual sections on prevalence, what causes stammering and likely prognosis, as well as written chapters which give it support and advice to parents and teachers... All in all an easily accessible, highly insightful, emotional read. I would recommend the book for any EP who might be working with a child who stammers.