postr/StutterSeptember 5, 2019

I interviewed someone with a stutter yesterday, seeking guidance

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I interviewed someone with a stutter yesterday, seeking guidance We are looking to hire an Au Pair to care for our three children when they are not in school, (they are young, all 4 years old or younger), and yesterday I spoke with someone who had a fairly severe stutter, but she was wonderful, and smart, and positive, and easy to communicate with despite English not being her first language. It takes longer for her to express herself, that is really all. I want to hire her, I think she would be great, but my wife is concerned that the stutter might cause issues for her or for the children. Specifically, she is concerned about 1) adverse impact on language development for our youngest two, who are still learning to speak, 2) isolation from other au pairs in our area, causing her to feel sad and alone, and 3) our eldest son is impatient and can be difficult, for anyone, and she is concerned that the au pair would struggle with him. I don't know anything about stuttering, but I feel confident that she would be fine, and a great person to care for our children. Part me wants to ask you: what can I tell or show my wife to demonstrate to her that the stutter won't be that big of a deal? Or is she right to be concerned? Is the stutter likely to be far worse in an Skype interview than it would be normally? Is it OK for me to ask her about the stutter or better to ignore it? I am willing to hear anyone's thoughts on this. I really want to hire this person and would feel awful if we turned her down because of the stutter. ​ EDIT: Thanks so much for the responses to this. Confirmed for me and my wife that the stutter is not an issue at all, and if anything hiring her would be positive for everyone. I had never thought to read about or learn about stuttering before, never had any reason to, and so reading through this sub has been really eye-opening for me in the best way, so, thanks and good luck to everyone out there.

Themes

Community & SupportSocial & RelationshipsIdentity & Disability

Subthemes

Validation & EmpathyListener ReactionsIdentity & Self-Perception