2008 Woodie Awards
Students share struggles with stuttering throughout life
Panel taps into personal, experiences, gives advice
By: Jessica Pavlovich
Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
For Curt Schneider, stuttering started out as a problem but turned into something that was just a part of him.
"The message is more important than the package it comes in," said the Portland graduate student.
Students crowded the Charles V. Park Library Auditorium on Wednesday night to listen to seven panelists who stutter.
Sue Woods, associate professor of communications disorders, facilitated the stuttering awareness panel.
"Everyone knows about (stuttering), but it is very rarely understood," Woods said.
Andy Faber, a Mount Pleasant High School senior, said he has been on the panel for two years and has been in speech therapy for six. Other panelists said they had spent many years in speech therapy as well.
Woods said there are two different kinds of stuttering: overt and covert. Overt stuttering is obvious, while covert is less noticeable and the fight to speak is within.
Schneider talked about how he and his brother Adam grew up stuttering together.
"We lived in the same house and probably spoke about it twice," Schneider said. "He's more overt, while I'm more covert."
Chesterfield Township sophomore Dana Oselett said her mother told her to slow down when she spoke or she would send her to speech therapy, making it seem negative.
Oselett started speech therapy at CMU with Woods a year and a half ago. "These people have changed my life," she said.
Nate Conn, Huntington Woods graduate, said his stuttering started when he was five or six and went away when he was nine.
"It came back uncontrollably when I went through puberty at about 12," said Conn.
Conn also received free speech therapy at CMU with Woods and said he got help from his professors when he needed to speak in front of the class.
Schneider said his speech therapy at CMU changed his life.
When asked about dating, returning panelist Molly Grochowski, said she didn't think people would like her because she didn't like herself.
Overcoming her unhappiness happened by pushing herself to speak more openly in public, she said.
"The first panel was the worst," the Temperance graduate said. "But it was freeing."
Grand Rapids freshman Sarah Burling said her major is in communication disorders and she wants to be a speech pathologist.
"I came to get a better understanding," Burling said. "I haven't gone to the other events, but will probably go tomorrow."
Novi junior Shannon Barbour said she thinks stuttering shouldn't be such a big deal.
"It's just a part of who they are," she said.
news@cm-life.com
"The message is more important than the package it comes in," said the Portland graduate student.
Students crowded the Charles V. Park Library Auditorium on Wednesday night to listen to seven panelists who stutter.
Sue Woods, associate professor of communications disorders, facilitated the stuttering awareness panel.
"Everyone knows about (stuttering), but it is very rarely understood," Woods said.
Andy Faber, a Mount Pleasant High School senior, said he has been on the panel for two years and has been in speech therapy for six. Other panelists said they had spent many years in speech therapy as well.
Woods said there are two different kinds of stuttering: overt and covert. Overt stuttering is obvious, while covert is less noticeable and the fight to speak is within.
Schneider talked about how he and his brother Adam grew up stuttering together.
"We lived in the same house and probably spoke about it twice," Schneider said. "He's more overt, while I'm more covert."
Chesterfield Township sophomore Dana Oselett said her mother told her to slow down when she spoke or she would send her to speech therapy, making it seem negative.
Oselett started speech therapy at CMU with Woods a year and a half ago. "These people have changed my life," she said.
Nate Conn, Huntington Woods graduate, said his stuttering started when he was five or six and went away when he was nine.
"It came back uncontrollably when I went through puberty at about 12," said Conn.
Conn also received free speech therapy at CMU with Woods and said he got help from his professors when he needed to speak in front of the class.
Schneider said his speech therapy at CMU changed his life.
When asked about dating, returning panelist Molly Grochowski, said she didn't think people would like her because she didn't like herself.
Overcoming her unhappiness happened by pushing herself to speak more openly in public, she said.
"The first panel was the worst," the Temperance graduate said. "But it was freeing."
Grand Rapids freshman Sarah Burling said her major is in communication disorders and she wants to be a speech pathologist.
"I came to get a better understanding," Burling said. "I haven't gone to the other events, but will probably go tomorrow."
Novi junior Shannon Barbour said she thinks stuttering shouldn't be such a big deal.
"It's just a part of who they are," she said.
news@cm-life.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Kiley
posted 10/24/07 @ 9:28 AM EST
What a wonderful presentation by the men and women of the Stutering Panel.
I never knew the struggles one could have who stutters.
I loved the stories they all shared. (Continued…)
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