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Speech Therapist Claims Chewing Gum is Ultimate Argument Avoidance Weapon

Speech Therapist Claims Chewing Gum is Ultimate Argument Avoidance Weapon
Photo by Ling App on Unsplash

KEY POINTS

  • •A speech-language pathologist has used pauses in her therapy sessions to help patients with aphasia and autism.
  • •She adapted the technique personally, chewing gum or eating lollipops to avoid knee-jerk reactions in daily conversations.
  • •With three children in their double digits, she credits this 'fun, filled pause' method for reducing arguments at home and smoothing tricky meetings.

Meet the speech-language pathologist who's spent a decade coaching everyone from kids with lisps to post-stroke adults on the magical power of the pause. Instead of letting conversations spiral into chaos, she adapted a technique from clinical therapy—strategic pauses—to her own life. Forget meditation or yelling into pillows: her solution is chewing gum, munching lollipops, or just 'fun, filled pauses' to physically block retorts during alleged preteen drama or pleas for ridiculous video games. With three double-digit kids, she says this jaw workout saved her sanity in what might be the world's most therapeutic parental multitasking. No therapy needed for her use of 'um' or random nose pokes either. Business Insider, 2026—pause and chew your way to peace.

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Source: Businessinsider | Published: 2/27/2026 | Author: Asha Dore