Disfluency-Affirming Therapy for Young People Who Stutter: Unpacking Ableism in the Therapy Room

Abstract

Purpose: Ableist messages are conveyed early in the life of a stutterer and are amplified throughout the school-age years. Increased recognition of the benefits of acceptance-based therapies for positive long-term outcomes has changed the narrative about stuttering and stutterers. Speech-language therapists are resonating with the ideas that “it is okay to stutter,” socioemotional aspects of stuttering must be considered, and support and community are valuable. Despite the shift in understanding, messages conveyed to students and parents commonly encourage suppression of stuttering and masking of one's stuttering identity. The purpose of this article was to (a) expose unintentional ableist messages that perpetuate stigma and feeling “othered” in the therapy relationship and (b) offer suggestions for congruent messaging in stuttering therapy. Conclusions: Ableism in stuttering therapy contributes to the physical struggle and socioemotional challenges experienced by stutterers. The author offers ideas for revisioning therapy outcomes, language, and messaging to students to encourage a congruent, disfluency-affirming culture in schools and community. Introspection and advocacy by both therapists and the broader professional community, in collaboration with young people who stutter, will serve to reduce the stigma that fuels many of the daily challenges faced by school-age children who stutter.