My Beautiful Stutter follows five kids who stutter, ages 9 to 18, from all over the United States and all walks of life, who, after experiencing a lifetime of bullying and stigmatization, meet other children who stutter at an arts-based program, SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young. Their journey to SAY find some close to suicide, others withdrawn and fearful, exhausted and defeated from failed fluency training, societal pressures to not stutter or the decision to remain silent. Over the course of a year, we witness firsthand the incredible transformation that happens when these young people of wildly different backgrounds experience for the first time the revolutionary idea at the heart of SAY: that it is really, really, REALLY okay to stutter.
Executive Producers: Mariska Hargitay, Peter Hermann, Paul Rudd, George Springer, Patrick James Lynch
Producers: Ryan Gielen, Michael Alden
Director: Ryan Gielen
Writer: Steven Sander
CLICK HERE to learn more about My Beautiful Stutter.
SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides support, advocacy, and life-changing experiences for young people who stutter, ages 3-18. CLICK HERE to learn how you can support SAY’s transformative programming.
Over 70 million people worldwide stutter, including 5% of all children. Children who stutter often face daily ridicule, teasing and bullying, and resort to silence to hide their stutter. Many will withdraw from peers, teachers, and society, leaving them feeling isolated and alone.
Since 2001, SAY has offered comprehensive and innovative programs that address the physical, social, and emotional impacts of stuttering: Through summer camp, regional day camps, speech therapy, and creative arts programming, SAY builds a community of acceptance, friendship, and encouragement where young people who stutter can develop the confidence and communication skills they need to thrive.
So many incredible young people have come to SAY in despair. We have been uplifted by their courage and the transformation that occurs when children who stutter can express themselves fully and understand that stuttering should never hold them back from achieving their dreams.