President Biden encourages a little girl who has a stutter: 'You just keep at it, okay?'

Avery is thrilled to get encouragement from President Biden about her stuttering.
Most Americans know by now that Joe Biden has worked hard to overcome a stutter he's had his whole life. His story of success, living a life of public service as a senator, vice president and now president of the United States, has inspired many who struggle to get their words to come out the way they want them to.
A video of Biden talking to a little girl who stutters has gone viral on Twitter, with people praising the president for his kindness and decency. Rufus Gifford, who shared the video, wrote, "My amazing niece and goddaughter Avery has struggled with a stutter much of her life. She was just told by a guy who knows a little something about it that she can be anything she wants to in this world. A day she will never ever forget. Thank you sir."
In the clip, Biden tells Avery, "That's all you have to do, and it'll go away, I promise. You just keep at it."
"Thank you," the girl says as she gives the president a hug.
My amazing niece and goddaughter Avery has struggled with a stutter much of her life.\n\nShe was just told by a guy who knows a little something about it that she can be anything she wants to in this world. \n\nA day she will never ever forget. \n\nThank you sir. pic.twitter.com/RDP5Y0FfTa— Rufus Gifford (@Rufus Gifford) 1638131107
Biden then invites Avery and her family to the White House, which Avery is clearly thrilled about.
This is not the first time we've seen President Biden inspire a kid who stutters. During the 2020 presidential race, Joe Biden met a 13-year-old from New Hampshire on the campaign trail. Brayden Harrington struggled with a stutter and the two bonded over it when they met.
"Don't let it define you," Biden told him. "You are smart as hell."
Brayden ended up writing and delivering a speech endorsing Biden at the Democratic National Convention and also recited a portion of a John F. Kennedy address for Biden's presidential inauguration.
To go from worrying about stuttering to giving two speeches in front of millions in a matter of months is incredibly impressive. That's the power of encouragement and inspiration.
“I’m just a regular kid, and in a short amount of time, Joe Biden made me more confident about something that’s bothered me my whole life," Brayden said in his DNC speech. "Joe Biden cared."
In 2015, when he was serving as vice president, Biden gave a speech on stuttering at the American Institute for Stuttering. He explained how, as a child, he would recite passages from Yeats and Emerson in the mirror and practice controlling his face and speech. He described how his mother encouraged him to not let his stutter define him. And he shared how having a stutter made him a more compassionate person.
"I learned so much from having to deal with stuttering," he said. "It gave me insight into other people's pain, other people's suffering. It made me understand that everyone—everyone—has something they're fighting to overcome, and sometimes trying to hide."
Presidents have power and influence that goes far beyond politics. Thank you, President Biden, for showing others who stutter that their struggles don't define them and that they definitely don't have to hold them back.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."