Press Reviews

• Youth in Mind

  This enlightening book will tug on the heart strings... Hearing about stammering from Harry's perspective, will enable parents and friend to understand a little bit about the every day challenges that a young person who stammers faces and how ti makes them feel. The book is informative and highly readable. The "How to help" section is essential reading for anyone living or caring for a young person with a stammer, and will help guide them about the best way to behave around someone who stammers. An excellent book to encourage open discussions about stammering - at home or at school.

• Red Reading Hub by Jill Bennett

  Sue Cottrell provides all of us, be we teachers, parents, friends or other professionals, with a sensitive and insightful introductory read.

• British Stammering Association

  The book is very comprehensive in its coverage of stammering, with information bases on research presented easily and simply for children to understand and then to use in situations that they might meet themselves, whether they stammer or not. Some serious messages about stammering are conveyed through Harrys comments that would interest a young reader - for example that stammering can come and go, that episodes may be triggered by stress of some kind, that children do not usually stammer when reading in unison with other people and that stammering "can make you feel lonely"... I really enjoyed reading this book, it was insightful and actually quite moving for me to read as I stammered when I was a child I could connect with Harry's feelings at that age. I could appreciate from my own experience just how important it was for hi m to get the support he enjoyed from his family, teachers and friends. I would highly recommend this book for young readers whether they stammer or not, for parents and professionals who could use it to encourage open communication with a child who stammers and, as it is part of a series that explains various conditions, it is a very useful resource for lessons in personal and social education.

• Matt Wilton, Regional Director UK South, The McGuire Programme

  As someone who struggled with a stammer through childhood, I had an instant connection with this book. I could hugely relate to Harry's mindset, the frustrations he went through and the emotions that he felt. Feeling trapped and lonely can lead to someone who stammers becoming extremely isolated but this book will help people who stammer realise that they are not alone and that there are techniques out there to give them hope, help reduce the fear and gain control of the stammer. This informative read will also help increase an understanding and awareness of stammering.

• Kevin Phelps, former stammerer, Headteacher, Tavernspite County Primary School, Wales

  "Can I tell you about Stammering?" is a very insightful look into stammering from a child's prospective. It is very informative and accurately reflects the feelings of a someone who stammers. It is very important that people who don't stammer understand how difficult life can be for those who do. Yet, even though stammering is an often debilitating condition, this book tells other stammerers not to give up, that there is hope out there and with hard work and belief the battle against stammering can be won. Besides, even with a stammer, we all have many, many qualities of which we should be very proud. It just really helps if other people understand and this book will definitely help with that.

• Alison Holloway, Speech and Language Therapist specialising in disorders of fluency

  What a lovely read! "Can I tell you about Stammering?" is a wonderfully thoughtful book with an accurate account of what stammering feels like for many children. It would be so useful to children of all ages, especially to those who do not know anyone else who stammers. I have met numerous children, from all kinds of backgrounds, who feel isolated by their stammers. Harry just might help them to see that others feel as they do and that they are not just a child who stammers.

• Kristin A. Chmela, M.A. CCC-SLP Board Recognized Specialist-Fluency Disorders, Long Grove, Illinois, USA

  This honest, matter-of-fact and informative book, shared from an individual child's perspective, beautifully captures daily experiences of stammering and educates parents, professionals, children and others about the disorder. In addition, it assists speech and language therapists in facilitating open communication about stammering with their clients.

• I CAN Communicate blog

  This book will offer you an insight into the world of a child who stammers and share some practical ways to help. Written by a parent of a child who stammers... There are practical tips for parents, teachers, friends and anyone who is interested in finding out more about how to help children who stammer. These books can also be shared with children aged 7 upward to help them understand their difficulties. At the end of the book there are also really useful links to other organisations and sources of support. This book may be useful to start potentially difficult conversations with children, either individually or in groups, about what a stammer is, how it feels to have a stammer and what works for different children to help them.

• Rosemarie Hayhow, fellow, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

  Children & Young People Now

  This highly readable and carefully constructed book uses the voice of an 11-year-old boy, Harry, to talk about stammering... The topics are divided into short chapters that can be discussed separately. There are also four pages of recommended reading, websites and addresses of various organisations... the book identifies how adults and peers can help in this process... In learning to overcome a stammer, the problem of transfer of any therapy techniques is highlighted... This book will be useful to professionals and parents and could facilitate discussions about stammering and how to support children. Ideally, therapists work with parents and schools, and this book could provide an excellent link between them. Where therapy is not available, it could be of great support to professionals and the stammering child.

• I CAN Communicate blog

  This book will offer you an insight into the world of a child who stammers and share some practical ways to help. Written by a parent of a child who stammers... There are practical tips for parents, teachers, friends and anyone who is interested in finding out more about how to help children who stammer. These books can also be shared with children aged 7 upward to help them understand their difficulties. At the end of the book there are also really useful links to other organisations and sources of support. This book may be useful to start potentially difficult conversations with children, either individually or in groups, about what a stammer is, how it feels to have a stammer and what works for different children to help them.

• cathryn Jonhston, assistant head/SENCO

  Nasen Special

  This book is a useful tool to enable people to gain a better understanding of stammering... It is accessible for children and young people, parents and professionals. Written from the child's perspective, the book gives an honest account of how he feels about his stammer as well as what is helpful to support him and what it unhelpful...Some very useful strategies are given for supporting children who stammer, including a range of contexts at school, at home and in the community. There is a summery at the end of the book of suggestions of how to help a child who stammers. The book concludes with some very useful resources and websites to give further information on where to go for additional help. I would recommend using this book as an introduction for learning about children who stammer.