What Is Stutter-Affirming Care?

Struggling with how to support a student who stutters without falling into the “fix it” trap? In this episode, Hallie sits down with Wendy Dietz, an SLP and clinic owner in Colorado who specializes in stuttering therapy, to chat all about what an acceptance-based approach really looks like. Wendy shares how a moving college essay first sparked her interest in stuttering, how the CARE model she learned at UT Austin completely shifted her perspective, and how she helps parents let go of all-or-nothing thinking about their child’s speech.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 

• Why fluency-focused early intervention isn’t backed by research and can cause harm
• Helping parents move past “fixed” vs. “held back” thinking about their child’s stuttering
• A student’s journey from a fluency-focused approach to self-advocacy and confidence
• Why observable severity often doesn’t match a student’s internal experience of stuttering
• What stuttering assessment looks like beyond disfluency counts
• Resources for SLPs building skills and confidence in this niche 

Here’s what we learned: 

• The goal is confident communication, not reducing or curing stuttering
• A third path exists for parents beyond “fixed” or “struggling forever”
• A student’s own attitude toward stuttering matters as much as how it sounds
• Early education protects students from internalizing negative experiences later
• Confidence in this niche comes from community involvement, not just coursework

Resources Mentioned:

Stop Guessing with Stuttering Therapy – Victoria Dertouzoc: https://speechtimefun.com/334-stop-guessing-with-stuttering-therapy/ 

A Human Approach to Stuttering and Neurodiversity – Ana Hernandez Episode: https://speechtimefun.com/336-a-human-approach-to-stuttering-and-neurodiversity/ 

Learn more about Wendy Dietz: 

Website: https://www.lifetimespeech.com/about 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifetimestuttering/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-dietz-m-s-ccc-slp-5236561a9 

Email: [email protected] 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

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