<p>As we plan for a spring break visiting campuses next week, D and I have started talking about both formal and informal interviews. The problem for her is that she has a moderate stutter, which becomes a LOT worse when she's meeting new people or is in a stressful situation. If you've seen "The King's Speech," her "disability" (she, herself, would never use that word) is about the same. Once she's comfortable, she's pretty articulate and has no trouble speaking her mind. But it takes a while. </p>
<p>Any experience with this? Any suggestions about how much to "explain" ahead of time?</p>
<p>I think you are smart to think about this ahead of time. I am not a Speech Pathologist, but as a parent I think helping your D have a “game plan” ahead of time is crucial. First of all, find out if interviews are even needed. Many universities do not offer them or consider them informational only. If that is the case, I would communicate via email until your D is certain it is U she is strongly considering. I would decide ahead of time, based upon how likely it is the stutter will appear and how severe it is, a well practiced sentence or two explaining the situation and how she prefers the interviewer to respond. While most folks would know the stutter is not under one’s control, they may not know how to respond. Something after the basic introductions/niceties "You may already realize that I have a moderate stutter. It does increase with new situations, so please be patient. I do not mind if you help me complete a phrase. (or I really prefer if you allow me the courtesy to finish my thoughts). It generally decreases as familiarity increases. But I would rather we focus on …(exciting research, great writing department etc).
Of course your daughter could practice such a sentence or two minimizing letters she struggles with the most. Giving the interviewing some information about how your D prefers they react helps put the interviewer at ease as well. </p>