STUTTERING FOUNDATION Q & A: AVY TAYLOR Do you remember when you fi rst
began to stutter? In first grade, I was diagnosed with a speech blocking disorder. I would be speaking, then suddenly be unable to move my mouth or produce any sound. It was embarrassing, frustrating, and ultimately defeating not to be
able to speak normally like the other kids.
Does stuttering run in your family? I am the first person in my family to stutter.
Did you seek treatment? Did it help? When I was in 2nd grade, I began going to speech therapy. After many years of developing awareness around what sounds I struggle with, and strategies to get over speech blocks, my
stutter is much less noticeable!
About Me: I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas! I have a little sister, dad, mom, and stepfather. I am involved with the Miss Fort Worth and Miss America Organizations.
My Hobbies and Passions: I’m a standup comedian, an electric violinist, and a lover of anything rock & roll! I am deeply passionate about mental health advocacy! I believe creative expression is an extremely powerful tool for coping with mental illness and understanding trauma, so I founded my service initiative, ‘Amplify You,’ to teach people how to embrace their creativity and their unique selves.
My Successes: As Miss Fort Worth, I am a queen who’s open, real, and unafraid to break barriers to connect with others. By being transparent about things like my mental health struggles or my speech impediment, I’ve been able to build more strong, memorable, and meaningful connections with people.
10
Tell us about your experience with stuttering as a child. Stuttering as a child shattered my self- confidence. I feared public speaking, struggled with eye contact, and got accustomed to people looking away or leaving in the middle of a conversation.
Speech blocking as a teenager is one of the least fun things imaginable. Making friends or talking to a crush is hard enough without the added pressure of a speech block disorder, knowing that half the time your words won’t come out right.
Has your stuttering gotten worse or
better since you were younger? How? As I’ve grown more confident and learned to love myself, my stutter has improved exponentially! Although I’ve never stopped stuttering, I found my voice as a standup comedian and a pageant performer. I’ve realized that I love to make people happy and laugh more than I worry about how my words
are coming out.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
