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During his visit, Kidd Gilchrist learned about the program at Peake Childhood Center and what they do when it comes to speech therapy. “Hampton University students, they come to our center twice a week during the school semester. And they are able to screen all of our young children to see if they have a need for any assistance to improve their speech and language,” a Peake Childhood Center official said. Kidd Gilchrist Foundation Change and Impact also donated $10,000 to the Peak Childhood Center to further support the mission to provide access to speech therapy services for children with stuttering in the Hampton Roads area.
A former University of Kentucky basketball star, who also played on some NBA teams, was at the Kentucky Capitol on Tuesday. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist says he wants to see all 50 states pass laws to help kids who struggle with stuttering. He says he’s had that all his life but says legislation to mandate insurance coverage for families will help a great deal.
“I’ve just been through it. I have been hurt. Said about stuttering at times. And stuff like that,” Kidd-Gilchrist said after testifying before lawmakers on the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. Kidd-Gilchrist says he’s never been prouder to stutter because a bill he says he will help kids in Kentucky advanced out of the committee. Senate Bill 111 will simply be an insurance mandate to ensure coverage for families that need it. It could be for kids or even an adult who suffered a brain injury that led to stuttering.
Former NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a person who stutters. Now that he has put basketball in the rearview mirror of his life, he travels to different institutions, mainly speech departments, including hospitals, to advocate for people who stutter through his nonprofit, Change & Impact Initiative.
He regularly appears as a guest speaker on various campuses, mainly the ones that offer undergraduate programs for speech and pathology, such as Lehman. “We need ya’ll,” he said to the audience. “Speech and language pathologists have opportunities of a lifetime to help people who stutter.” Kidd-Gilchrist told The Press, health care is important — especially for those who have a speech impediment. “I had my first session with my SLP when I was 17,” he said. “I was a freshman in college. I never had these resources as a kid.”
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In 2021, he founded a nonprofit organization, Change & Impact Initiative, a group that aims to expand services and resources for those who stutter. “It was hard for me growing up, I had my highs and lows like anyone in this room,” he said. “But whether it was in school or being tall, I was always picked on.” When he was feeling low, he relied on his speech therapist for support. He built a friendship, rather than a patient-doctor relationship. “Ain’t no one understands you — so having that one person who understands you is good,” he said.
When he isn’t scoring points on the court, former Charlotte Hornets Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist doesn’t stick to the bench–as a person who stutters, he is a passionate advocate for this speech disorder that affects about 1% of the population. Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Professor Mandy Hampton Wray was excited to invite him to the Pitt School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) to share his experiences with her class of aspiring SLPs-to-be.
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The story of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s struggle with his speech and the stutter he developed as a toddler has been well documented since he first arrived at Kentucky and throughout his professional basketball career. The former Wildcat was first diagnosed with cognitive learning disabilities in the first grade and began seeing a speech therapist in the second grade. Due to his struggles, Kidd-Gilchrist was always hesitant to speak up in public settings and avoided interviews.
Now 27 years old, Kidd-Gilchrist has founded Change & Impact Initiative for Stuttering in an effort to help those dealing with similar struggles. His goal? To be an example and leader for the stuttering community and show that “imperfection is beautiful.”
Steve Popper: The Knicks have made it official - announcing the waiving of Myles Powell, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bryce Brown. That finalizes the roster unless they opt to grab another player cut loose from another team.
Knicks to waive Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Shams Charania: The Knicks are waiving forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium .
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