Amanda Gorman became a household name after she read her poem, "The Hill We Climb," during Presidential Inauguration ceremonies last week. Gorman is the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate and, at 22, became the youngest-ever inaugural poet.
President Joe Biden and Amanda Gorman have something in common, they both have speech issues. Biden has stuttered since childhood. Gorman stated that she was unable to pronounce the letter "r" until 2 or 3 years ago, further stating that "even to this day sometimes I struggle with it." But while Gorman's poem was performed flawlessly, she told the press it required a lot of practice.
Early diagnosis and treatment of speech issues increases the chances of improvement rather than simply waiting and treating problems later. Treating communication and language issues early on can prevent potential problems with behavior, learning, reading and social interaction. As a speech therapist, I am passionate about early intervention and helping children that stutter or are having difficulty producing the "r" sound. Please contact me for a free consultation if you are concerned about these areas of speech or have any speech and language development questions.
Sources:
National Public Radio (NPR)
ReadingRockets.org
Comments