​Suncorp Stadium will tonight light up green for International Stuttering Awareness Day.

International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD) happens every year to raise awareness about Stuttering, a speech fluency disorder that affects up to 5 % of children, and 1% - 5 % of adults.
 
People who stutter exhibit interruptions in their speech production, characterised by repetitions of sounds, syllables or words, and/or prolongations of sounds and/or blocks. Some people who stutter may have reduced confidence and hold unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about stuttering.
 
As well, people who stutter are often perceived negatively by others – they may be viewed as less intelligent, extremely anxious or incapable of many tasks. This has meant that people who stutter may struggle at school, without appropriate support; they may believe that their preferred employment is out of their reach; they may fear attending a party and speaking to others, or they may fear speaking up in a work situation.
 
It is important that society at large is better educated about stuttering – the best people to ask are those who stutter themselves.
 
Many famous people have experienced stuttering – Emily Blunt, Bruce Willis, Ed Sheeran, Joe Biden, to name a few.
 
Globally, we are seeing a new approach to stuttering – this includes acceptance, and increased understanding around how people who stutter can be best supported to achieve their goals.
 
The Australian Speak Easy Association started 41 years ago in 1980 as a support and practice group for people who stutter who have participated in a Smooth Speech therapy program.  Today, these maintenance groups continue to be available to those wanting to practice Smooth Speech. We also have Speak Freely groups for people who want to speak without judgement and are seeking support from other people who stutter.