An Interview with Dr. Paul Blanchet

Paul Blanchet, PhD, CCC-SLP, describes himself as an “atypical” stutter. But he quickly follows up to say that there is no typical stuttering. He describes it as a unique “fingerprint” made up of blocks, prolongations, and/or repetitions. Dr. Blanchet is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Baylor University. He introduces himself to students by sharing that he wears three hats – he’s a professor, he’s a clinician, but first and foremost, he’s a client.

Dr. Blanchet teaches his students, future clinicians, that their role is not to “cure” stuttering but to help their client accept and manage it. “If you try to fight a stutter, you will lose every time,” he says, comparing it to trying to push a door that has a pull handle. Acceptance is not quitting, it’s the opposite of resistance.

Part of acceptance is learning how to self-disclose your stuttering. Paul teaches his students to help their clients, even the youngest ones, become advocates for themselves. Because stuttering is so individualized, by disclosing it instead of trying to hide it, people who stutter and the fluent speakers they interact with can have better interactions. How and how often a person decides to disclose is up to them.

Dr. Blanchet teaches his students that the clinician’s role is to help a client’s parents, teachers, and other caregivers understand their needs. As difficult as it can be for a mother to stop trying to finish their child’s sentences, doing so may not be what the child wants and may hinder their progress towards becoming advocates for themselves. 

The same advice goes for anyone who converses with a person who stutters – whether regularly or occasionally. Although they’re not responsible for giving you an explanation of their stuttering, if they do, listen carefully to understand their individualized needs.

• If they are not responding to you, don’t just repeat yourself louder. Give them time to respond.
• As Dr. Blanchet puts it, don’t “take over their voice” by trying to finish their sentence or speak for them.
• Listen to what they’re saying, not how they’re saying it.
• Do not ask them to slow down or start over, simply allow them to communicate to the best of their ability.

Every interaction with a person who stutters is an opportunity to make them feel comfortable and understood. He teaches people who stutter not to live their life afraid of going after they want. And likewise, he asks fluent speakers to not be afraid of stuttering.