International Stuttering Awareness Day

October 22, 2021

October 22nd marks International Stuttering Awareness Day as a way to bring awareness to this speech fluency disorder. The primary purpose of International Stuttering Awareness Day is to:

• Change public attitudes and eliminate societal discrimination toward people who stutter
• Promote the self-esteem and opportunities of people who stutter to reach goals and aspirations
• Build a community and provide an opportunity to exchange ideas and strengthen the relationship among researchers, people who stutter, clinicians, and parents of children who stutter

More than 70 million people around the world stutter. This means that while talking, they repeat syllables, sounds, or words. People who stutter also prolong sounds or experience unwanted interruptions in their speech. They know what they want to say, but are unable to produce a normal flow of speech. This disorder usually affects children between the ages of 2 and 6. This is when they are producing their language skills.

HOW TO OBSERVE #InternationalStutteringAwarenessDay

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the Stuttering Foundation, International Stuttering Association, and the National Stuttering Association all join together to observe International Stuttering Awareness Day. Global events for this observance include an online conference geared toward speech-language pathologists and their clients. Additional events include public awareness events, educational activities, and a media campaign.