New Film Available in 16,000 U.S. Libraries to Help Kids Who Stutter

RIVERBEND - A new resource for kids who stutter is available at libraries across the country.

“Stuttering: For Kids, By Kids” is a DVD available in 16,000 libraries around the U.S. or through interlibrary loan. The video is available in English and Spanish, and it features real kids who struggle with speech impediments. The Stuttering Foundation sponsored the film and the foundation’s president, Jane Fraser, noted that it aims to help kids feel less alone.

“There are children all over the place that are in towns and schools where there are no other kids who stutter,” Fraser said. “And so that was kind of our thinking: Let’s put together a film so that these kids who feel like they’re alone in the world and no other kids their age stutter, let’s let them know that there are other kids out there that have to deal with the same problems.”

Fraser explained that the film features kids who stutter in a variety of ways, and all of them have different perspectives on stuttering, talking in school and teasing. The kids range in age from first-graders to high schoolers, and the film is narrated by Swish, an animated basketball character. Fraser said the DVD is an important resource for kids and families who have been impacted by speech impediments and disabilities like stuttering.

“We’re excited about the kids. I think that’s the thing that we like the most. It’s not that we don’t want to hear [from] and help adults who stutter, but feeling like we can make a difference for the kids — I’m sure all of us have been teased, and so I think it just hits home,” Fraser added. “This is a real special problem and it’s a problem that goes to the heart. If you can’t talk, if you’re afraid to talk, if you’re afraid to express your feelings, it’s really pretty devastating…I think when people watch the film, they really have a feeling of, ‘This is what it feels like to stutter when you’re a kid, to be different.’”

The Stuttering Foundation receives hundreds of letters every year from kids who say they don’t know anyone else who stutters. Fraser said that for every letter that comes in, they receive another hundred in response. They hope the film will show people that they are not alone, as 5–10% of kids struggle with stuttering at some point in their lives.

Fraser estimates that The Stuttering Foundation has helped over a million people in their 75 years, though the number is impossible to know for sure. She thanked the libraries who have shared their resources for free and now host the “Stuttering: For Kids, By Kids” video on their shelves.

“It’s been wonderful and of course, we are so grateful to the libraries for shelving it,” she added. “To some extent, it’s up to the librarian to say, ‘Yes, we will make room for this on our shelves.’ So we’re really indebted to those librarians throughout the country that do find a space on their shelves for our material.”

For more information about The Stuttering Foundation and the “Stuttering: For Kids, By Kids” film, visit their official website at StutteringHelp.org.

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