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 harmHelping parents move past “fixed” vs. “held back” thinking about their child’s stutteringA student’s journey from a fluency-focused approach to self-advocacy and confidenceWhy observable severity often doesn’t match a student’s internal experience of stutteringWhat stuttering assessment looks like beyond disfluency countsResources for SLPs building skills and confidence in this niche Here’s what we learned: The goal is confident communication, not reducing or curing stutteringA third path exists for parents beyond “fixed” or “struggling forever”A student’s own attitude toward stuttering matters as much as how it soundsEarly education protects students from internalizing negative experiences laterConfidence in this niche comes from community involvement, not just courseworkResources 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/🎲✨ Check out the Secondary Secret Podcast here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/secret-podcast-signup📘✨ Grab your copy of The Secondary SLP Roadmap here! https://www.speechtimefunpd.com/stf-book🎤✨ The Speech Retreat is Back! Learn more and register here!https://www.speechretreat.comSubscribe today and get access to my secret podcast filled with my juicy secrets for planning with ease for secondary speech students. 6 quick episodes that you can quickly listen to and feel refreshed and inspired! https://speechtimefun.com/secondarysecrets