University Scholar Series: Pei-Tzu Tsai

Authors

Pei-Tzu Tsai, San Jose State UniversityFollow

Files

Description

Learning from Stuttering: A Path from Disorder to Diversity

Tripping over our words while talking is quite common. While most people can move on without much effort, one out of 100 speakers experiences getting stuck (stuttering) on a daily basis since early childhood, and moving on can be emotionally and physically taxing. Stuttering is a speech disorder that is genetic-neurological in nature, with symptoms that can be affected by multiple factors across the lifespan. The exact cause of stuttering remains unclear, but its negative consequences on self-perception, social attitude, and quality of life are well documented. Though there is currently no cure, speech therapy has evolved in dynamic directions to address the complex impacts of the disorder and to advocate for diversity and inclusion of those who speak differently. Dr. Tsai’s research investigates the underlying factors of stuttering and stuttering therapy, with a goal of developing culturally and linguistically responsive services for individuals who stutter and advocating for acceptance and diversity in communication.

About the Author

Professor Tsai is an associate professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences. She earned a Ph.D. in Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland at College Park on cognitive-linguistic processing in adults who stutter. Since joining the university, she has been actively involved in diversity and inclusion services and projects, and established the fluency specialty clinic, summer camp for kids who stutter, and gender-affirming voice and communication clinic at the Kay Armstead Center for Communicative Disorders, serving the local communities. She enjoys mentoring student researchers and received the SJSU distinguished faculty mentor award in 2020.

Date of Event

Fall 10-20-2021

Keywords

stuttering, stutterers, neurological differences, stigma, societal pressure

Disciplines

Communication Sciences and Disorders | Genetic Phenomena | Speech Pathology and Audiology

Comments

1 streaming video file (55 min.) : digital, sound, color. Closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.

Recommended Citation

Tsai, Pei-Tzu, "University Scholar Series: Pei-Tzu Tsai" (2021). University Scholar Series. 44.
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/uss/44