Illness vs. Identity

Illness vs. Identity

To what extent do you think of a child’s stuttering as a deficient form of speaking when compared to “normal”? To what extent do you think of a child’s stuttering as central to their identity? David and Mama Sanchez answer these questions from the perspectives of both parent and person who stutters, and they share how their views have changed over time. They wrap up the show with a hilarious “Top 10 Show Names We Considered Before Stutter. Podcast. Repeat.”  *The “Illness vs. Identity” theme is borrowed from the book Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon. SPR adapted the theme for the purposes of discussing stuttering and creating the “Illness vs. Identity Grid.”

When to Gently Push Your Child (& When to Let Them Quit)

Mama Sanchez reflects on moments from David’s childhood when he was confronted with stuttering-related challenges, including school musicals, class presentations, and running for school government. David asks what led Mama Sanchez to gently push him to do some activities (like joining sports/clubs to make new friends) and allow him to quit at other times (like picking him up from school to avoid a class presentation). In the second QFT segment, the Sanchez duo try to come up with a rubric for how parents might think through these decisions with their children who stutter. Also, David argues in his “Word Switch” segment that everyone--parents, teachers, SLP’s, and people who stutter themselves--need to stop saying “can’t” when it comes to stuttering (e.g., “I can’t talk” “I can’t say that”). He provides alternative language for changing how we talk and think about stuttering. Lastly, the Sanchezes play another game of “The Sing’s Speech” the game where they sing famous literary works to famous tunes and have to guess which is which!

Building Resilience in Our Children Who Stutter

David and Mama Sanchez are joined by school counselor (& wife/daughter-in-law) Amy Sanchez to talk about resilience and stuttering. In the first Quality Family Time they critique the societal messaging around resilience and discuss the role environmental influences play in the development of resilience. In the second QFT they focus on practical tips for parents, teachers, SLP’s, and allies in “building up” resilience in children who stutter. Building blocks include supportive parents/adults, a community of peers who stutter, successful role models who stutter, access to speech therapy and other support services, and more.  This episode’s intermission is brought to you by “Imagine If…” which asks the audience to imagine if stuttering happened to your hearing instead of your speech. David discusses the merits of using “Imagine If…” questions as desensitization-themed conversation starters in support groups and in therapy sessions. David ends the show by challenging his guests in a game of “Pseu-real or Pseudo.” He plays 10 clips of himself stuttering; half of the clips include real stuttering and half of them include fake (pseudo) stuttering. Amy and Mama Sanchez have to tell which is which! They wrap up the game with a discussion on the potential therapeutic benefits of this desensitization game.

Speaking for Your Child

Mama Sanchez talks about all the ways she spoke for David throughout his childhood so that he wouldn’t have to, but she wonders… did she do the right thing? The Sanchezes talk about their experiences with this and provide some guidance to parents wondering to what extent they should be trying to make speaking easier for their child. To celebrate the new year (late), they also briefly reflect on the joys and challenges of speaking up about stuttering via podcasting, and they play an “Advice From Kids” segment featuring 13 year-old Noah.

Finishing Your Child's Sentences ft. Drew & Stephanie Fleming

Mama Sanchez used to finish David’s sentences when he stuttered. He liked it. It wasn’t until adulthood that both of them learned that speech therapists and stuttering organizations recommend against this. In the first “Quality Family Time” they share their experiences, rationales, and ideological growth in how they think about finishing sentences for people who stutter. They also “Imagine If” they stopped stuttering today and how their lives would be different. Guests Drew and Stephanie Fleming join the show for the second QFT segment. Drew discusses his experiences of stuttering through elementary school, then having it disappear in middle school… only for his stutter to return in high school. Stephanie talks about her own growth as a mother and advocate for a son that stutters. Drew and Stephanie bring the hilarity in an improv (and potential therapy?) game of “Finish My Sentence” that ends with David and Mama Sanchez screaming ridiculous phrases at one another. ----- Drew Fleming is a 20 year old college student from Maple Valley, WA.  He is an avid movie watcher and comic book reader when he's not working at his job at Chick-Fil-A.  Stephanie Fleming is a stay at home mom to Drew and Davis.  She has been married to Kevin for 22 years.  Stephanie is originally from South Carolina, which will be very obvious as soon as she starts talking.