Recently, on television, I heard former President Trump and the current Republican Party nominee mock his former opponent and the current President of our country. Trump imitated stuttering negatively as a bully would. As a pediatric speech-language pathologist working with children for the past 50 years, I found this to be totally insensitive and immature. Stuttering typically begins in childhood. For some it continues into adulthood. Some are never “cured” but can manage it in a positive manner. It may surface, at times, under stress, fatigue, or illness, perhaps. This mocking of another person’s different speech pattern is very disconcerting as children may hear this and think that since an adult can do it, especially a former president, then it’s okay to do it as well. Mr. Trump should never be allowed to be around children in case he “slips” and produces another denigrating utterance of a person’s different ability. For the sake of our children, please don’t allow them to listen to this behavior.
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Frank J. Perez
Foothills
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