I am proud to introduce Harshiv and Yves, whose stories were published in the Spring 2022 Stuttering Foundation of America newsletter. Their stories are on page 26 and 29. The Stuttering Foundation is a nonprofit organization which provides resources to families and educators as well as support for research. Yves and Harshiv came to us at the end of sixth grade, and I have been blessed to have come alongside them and their families in all of middle school. We worked together to increase spontaneity, joy and ease of communication, and to develop important self-advocacy skills. We also collaborated to promote awareness among our educators.

I recall many fond learning moments with Harshiv and Yves in the classroom. We shared funny experiences of talking, and I watched them develop their own strategies and pave their learning paths. I am proud of them for being vulnerably strong to share their authentic selves in the stories. For me, their stories represent creativity, courage, and determination.

Click here to view the newsletter. 

Cheyanne Chen-Jones
Middle School Speech-Language Pathologist