- President Joe Biden has lived with stuttering since childhood.
- Many misconceptions about stuttering feed into stigma about the condition.
- Speech therapy and support groups can help people cope with stuttering.
President Joe Biden doesn’t hide the fact that he has stuttered since childhood, and by doing so, he brings hope to many people who live with the same condition.
“The fact that he has spoken openly about his stuttering shines a light for society that stuttering doesn’t stop you from doing what you want to do,” Nina Reeves, stuttering specialist and owner of Stuttering Therapy Services and Seminars, told Healthline.
By being open about stuttering, Biden is also helping to erase the stigma.
“We find stigma and stereotyping is a tough thing to shake across all people who are different. As a person who stutters myself, it just feels good that there’s a public figure like President Biden who is a role model in how he handles stuttering,” Rodney Gabel, PhD, speech language pathologist and professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York, told Healthline.
“That might not necessarily change overall societal views, but it can certainly make people who are involved in stuttering, as well as parents of those who stutter, feel better,” added Gabel.
However, to say Biden has overcome stuttering because he’s president is misleading.
“Overcoming stuttering doesn’t mean not stuttering. Overcoming stuttering means overcoming the idea that stuttering can hold you back. Overcoming stuttering means I can do whatever I want and still stutter,” said Reeves.
Many speech behaviors Biden displays signify his way of coping with stuttering, added Gabel. “The fact is, Biden is showing he still stutters, but handles it.”
Source: healthline