In this episode of SLP Coffee Talk, Hallie chats with Ana Hernandez—SLP and founder of Adult Stuttering—about why she ditched fluency therapy and never looked back. Ana breaks down the adaptation effect, why you can’t sit in the middle ground, and what it actually looks like to run an affirming stuttering session from start to finish. If stuttering has always felt like uncharted territory, this one’s your map.

Bullet Points to Discuss: 

• Why the middle ground between fluency and acceptance is hurting your students
• The adaptation effect and why fluency strategies fail in real life
• Using the five stages of behavioral change to meet students where they are
• Ditching “bumpy speech” and reframing how we talk about stuttering
• Starting sessions with a positive speaking moment

Here’s what we learned: 

• You can’t tell a kid their stutter is okay and drill fluency strategies in the same session.
• Fluency strategies don’t fail because the student didn’t try hard enough—they’re just unreliable by design.
• Safety comes before progress. Some kids need the whole session just to feel okay being in the room.
• “Stutter” is not a bad word. “Bumpy speech” is out.
• If you’re shifting away from fluency therapy, just tell your student. Kids love honesty.

Learn more about Ana Hernandez: 

Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/adult-stuttering

Website: www.adultstuttering.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adultstuttering/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adultstuttering-ana/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adultstuttering

Adult Stutter – Goals List: https://adultstuttering.myflodesk.com/slpgoals 

Learn more about Hallie Sherman and SLP Elevate:  

📝 Website: https://speechtimefun.com/

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