Professors Give Advice for People with Communication Disorders

Ideas provided for advocates of stutterers and hearing impaired

Faculty in Sacred Heart University’s speech-language pathology program is offering advice to help individuals with speech and hearing challenges who are having difficulty communicating during the coronavirus pandemic.

Professors participated in a recent Facebook Live discussion hosted by SHU’s Alumni Association and moderated by Ciara Leydon, interim chair of the department of communication disorders. Jamie Marotto, clinical assistant professor, and Jill Douglass, assistant professor, were the panelists.

Educators from SHU’s College of Health Professions explained why people who stutter or have a hearing loss might struggle now more than they did before the pandemic, and suggested how family members, friends and co-workers can be supportive.

“As a society, we need to increase our empathy toward people with communication disorders,” said Marotto, who teaches audiology courses. “We need to increase our compassion and understand the complexity of their needs.”

Hearing loss

An estimated 46 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. The disorder can make people feel isolated, decrease their productivity and lead to a poorer quality of life, said Marotto. Hearing aids help, she added, but they’re not perfect in every listening situation.

Social distancing and the need to wear masks to combat the spread of COVID-19 can impair people who have trouble hearing. They can no longer read lips, and standing six feet away from others makes conversations harder to hear, Marotto said.

There are ways to help hard-of-hearing individuals overcome these struggles, such as speaking more clearly by talking a little slower and louder, though Marotto clarified that people should not slow down speech too much, or shout directly into a person’s ear, because that can actually make speech more difficult to understand. People also should remove themselves from noisy situations and avoid looking another way while talking. Also, if possible, people should try to get (or make) masks with a clear, see-through window so lips and facial cues can still be read.

Stuttering

Individuals who stutter are now forced to use new technology as they work from home, said Douglass, whose research focuses on stuttering’s cognitive and emotional impact on individuals and their families.

Participating on group video conferences places stutterers in a new and different situation. “This creates a change in their communication,” Douglass said. “It changes their ability to read a crowd … it changes their timing. It’s a complete overhaul on how they communicate. They’re used to predictable ways to communicate, but now there’s no predictability with the new technological platforms.”

For people who stutter, Douglass said listeners should let them finish their statements. “We need to have a higher level of patience and tolerate the silence,” she said. The silence someone might hear on the other end of the conversation is the person with the stutter trying to speak. “They know what they want to say; they just need the time to say it,” she said.

Friends, family members and co-workers can advocate for people who stutter by recognizing their challenges and offering different modes of communication, until they find one that is preferable for the stutterer.  

New level of stress

For people with communication disorders and their caretakers, stress and anxiety levels are heightened, the professors said.

People without speech or hearing impairments might be frustrated over having to repeat themselves to someone who can’t hear, or a situation may become uncomfortable for a listener communicating with someone who stutters. Douglass and Marotto said everyone, especially listeners, must practice patience and compassion.

Because of the pandemic, individuals with communication disorders may feel more alone and isolated than ever before. The professors explained these people don’t have to work it out on their own; there are support groups and organizations that can provide tips and assistance, such as hearingloss.org and stuttertalk.com.