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Written by: Anne Fennimore, Ph.D.

Faculty from the College of Education recently presented at the 2025 International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD) conference. Their research, An Investigation of the Impacts of a Stuttering Storybook, highlights the potential of children’s literature to nurture empathy and encourage acceptance of speech differences among young learners.

Led by Chair and Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Dale F. Williams, Ph.D., Professor of Visual Art Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction Susannah L. Brown, Ph.D., and graduate assistant Francesca Cocilovo, the research team explored how repeated readings of The Can’t-Be-Seen Who Couldn’t Squawk—a storybook written by Williams and illustrated by Brown—shaped children’s attitudes toward stuttering.

Centered on Nate, a young character facing challenges with speech fluency and social belonging, the story introduces readers to themes of bullying, resilience, and self-empowerment. To evaluate the book’s influence, parents read the story to their children, ages four to seven, three times over the span of a week. Upon completion of the study, parents facilitated a discussion using structured questions.

Responses from the surveys indicated that children’s reflections encompassed recurring themes such as kindness, friendship, perseverance, and problem-solving. One parent described a noticeable change in their child’s self-perception: “They definitely seem more conscious. Maybe even more accepting of themselves; that it’s OK he isn’t the best at soccer because he is the best at math.”

Due to the study’s brief timeframe, researchers acknowledged limitations in observing long-term behavioral outcomes. However, preliminary data suggest that storybooks can serve as effective tools for developing supportive social attitudes in early childhood education. Longitudinal studies are recommended for assessing the sustained impact of literature-based interventions.