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Hi, my name is Andrew and I am 10. I go to Phillipsburg Osceola Middle School in PA. I like to go to Williamsport to see the Little League World Series. I also like to play soccer. Every year me, my mom, and my dad go camping on Labor Day weekend to Sinnemahoning Camp Grounds. I started stuttering when I started to talk. Stuttering to me is when your vocal cords don’t vibrate right and can cause you to stutter. Stuttering makes me frustrated because when you want to say something, you can’t because of the stuttering. I think what could help is strategies like easy onset and stretchy speech. Stretchy speech is when you stretch out a word like hi. You would go “hhhhhhiiiiii.” Easy onset is when you take a deep breath and then say the word you are going to say nice and easy.


Andrew, 10, from Phillipsburg, PA


Hi, my name is Jonathan. I am 9 years


I Feel Weird


When I stutter I feel weird, it is something I feared. I think about it a lot,


sometimes I got caught, and it can be very stressful.


Darrell, 12 Worcester, MA Sports Help Me


old. I started stuttering when I was in first grade and I thought I was sick. I told my mom and my mom said I was not sick, I was stuttering. It makes me


feel sad when people make fun of me. It helps me when I stop and re-start again. My advice is don’t give up and ignore people when they make fun of you. How do you feel about stuttering and what works for you?


Jonathan, 9 Indianapolis, IN


Hi, my name is Tom. I play lots of sports. I think sports help me if I am having a bad day. Like if I stutter a lot then I think the sports that I play help me get relaxed and not think about it. Some of my tools are pulling the first letter, taking a deep breath before each sentence, and mountain talk. Mountain talk is where I


can drag my finger on my leg while I am talking. I am ten years old.


Tom, 10, from Minooka, IL You Are Not Alone


My name is Kallum. You probably said that wrong. I am 10 years old. My school is Garin Elementary. I’m also in the 4th grade. I like playing soccer and letting my dogs lick me. I’ve been teased because of my stuttering. It annoys me when people make fun of me because they don’t understand how hard it is. Speech class helps me not stutter. Just know you’re not the only one. You are not alone.


Kallum, 10, from Brentwood, CA Send letters & signed parent permission to: The Stuttering Foundation P.O. Box 11749, Memphis, TN 38111-0749 or email info@StutteringHelp.org


DEAR SFA : DRAWINGS AND LETTERS FROM YOUNG READERS


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