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Family offers tips for child's stuttering
One of our favorite dads, columnist Ernest Hooper, posted this helpful piece on stuttering that is keyed to Colin Firth's new movie, The King's Speech. Firth plays a real-life British king who unexpectedly rose to the throne and then worked with a speech therapist to prepare for a key address.
Hooper talked to Tampa's Gabe and Sheryl Hunter, whose son Logan, now 7, started stuttering at age 3. Like so many families plunged into a fast learning curve when a loved one struggles, this family quickly immersed themselves in the subject, and Hooper writes: Sheryl learned that Logan cannot be expected to outgrow stuttering. She learned that many celebrities have successfully dealt with the challenge, including actor James Earl Jones and singer Carly Simon. And she learned that stuttering is more physiological than psychological, and can involve genetics. Parents are wrong to blame themselves, or associate stuttering with stress or nervousness, she said.
They joined support groups and association boards, and the family created a University of South Florida scholarship for graduate students in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences' department of communications sciences and disorders. We salute this determined Momma!
Some stuttering tips:
• Do not assume the person lacks intelligence.
• Let the person finish what he or she is saying; be patient.
• Do not advise the person who stutters to "slow down" or "relax" — these comments are not helpful.
For more information, go to www.nsastutter.org.
--Sharon Kennedy Wynne
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THE AUTHORS
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
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Freelance writer Courtney Cairns Pastor wasn’t so sure about having kids and how she would balance child-rearing with her journalism career. It turned out that her journalism training went to good use. As the mom to a funny, active toddler, she learned to handle him like she did her sources. Never ask yes or no questions (the answer will always be no), get him to be specific (are you crying because you’re wet or your tooth hurts?) and be prepared for anything because no two days are the same. When she’s not playing trucks, Courtney crams for her book club, trains for races and occasionally bursts into showtunes. E-mail her at 
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