Stop Stuttering

I started to stutter at the age of four or five. My parents took me to a lot of different types of speech therapy, some in groups, some on a one to one basis. The kind of advice I was given to control my stutter or to overcome my stutter were varied. These are some:

slowing down my breath costal breathing prolonged speech taking a deep breath before I spoke

I had began in the class called, preschool stutter. This term is labeled by the stutter speech therapist or the stutter speech pathologist. My parents were reassured that most people who stutter in childhood soon grow out of it. Well I was one of those who didn’t.

I then joined the class called, childhood stutter. I continued to attend speech therapy and joining in with their speech therapy activities and their speech therapy games.

I then progressed to the class called, adult stutter. I now decided that speech therapy was not really working for me.

I decided to try my own form of stutter self help. Even though I had a stutter, at times I could talk very well. As an example when I was drunk, I spoke nearly perfectly fluent.

After nearly a year I managed to overcome my stutter and eradicate the stutter once and for all. As a career I now help other people to stop stuttering.

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How many fluent people ever consider what life is like for somebody with a stutter?

Going through life with a stutter is quite difficult, and at times the stutterer would appreciate a little more compassion.

After overcoming a stutter myself, I asked some of my friends, how they thought life was like, having a severe stutter. I had quite a few different responses, some of which annoyed me.

Jim said:

“I always thought that you felt a bit sorry for yourself and you made out that your stutter was some huge disasterous problem. It’s not like you couldn’t talk at all, is it?

I also felt at times that you lacked courage, for example always asking Tony to order your drinks for you.”

Paul then gave his opinion:

“I found it quite funny that at times you would be talking really well, but within a few minutes you couldn’t get a word out.”

Ashley joined in:

“I felt a bit sorry for you, seeing you struggle, was quite painful to watch.”- This was a better comment!

Nigel, another friend:

“I am glad that I don’t stutter, but what I think you needed to understand was that you were not the only one with issues and problems. I am extremely impressed that you have managed to overcome it though.”

I was annoyed mostly by the comments from Jim, and responded:

“So you think to have a stutter is not that bad then Jim? OK, I challenge you to go up to the bar and order a pint of lager, but when you order it I want you to stutter on some of the words.”

I showed him how I wanted him to say the order, when to stutter etc. I then said:

“After you have stuttered on the words, I want you to see how it feels and to experience the way people look at you. You may then understand a little bit more of what I went through.”

Jim declined this challenge, even after a severe amount of prompting and teasing from different members of our group.

Having a stutter is not nice and when someone who has a stutter seeks help, please offer them your full support.

I was quite fortunate in that some of my friends did go to the bar for me and my parents were quite prepared to make certain phone calls, like phoning the doctors and the car insurance.

At other periods in my life though, other people did make fun of me and at times I would become very depressed and withdrawn and would wonder why it was me who had a stutter.

Stephen Hill

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