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Coming To Terms With My Stutter- (4222 bytes) written on 2003-02-09 09:39:49 [stories] id#(5)
Frustration, embarrassment and generally feeling depressed about yourself are just some of the feelings experienced by stutterers. I was born in 1982 and have had to endure a stutter for most of my life. A couple of attempts were made to cure it early on, but it wasn’t until the year 2000, that I began consistent treatment with Di Franklin, a speech pathologist. Combining these sessions with becoming a member of the WA Speakeasy Association, and attending their weekly meetings, attending workshops put on by Curtin University students and lecturers and practicing the techniques learnt, I have been able to transform my life and know I have the tools to be able to speak fluently.
One of the greatest misconceptions with stuttering is that it will just go away. This just isn’t the case for a lot of people, including myself, and I wish now, I had committed myself to have done something sooner.
Growing up with a stutter is not fun at all. It is like a person is trapped inside of you, exploding with ideas, but unable to jump out and express them. This leads to feelings of frustration, despair and a low self-esteem. I have always found it easier to avoid situations, like never bothering to answer questions in the classroom, avoiding conversations and sitting back and letting others do the talking for me. This was because I was afraid and embarrassed to make a fool of myself in the process, by stuttering responses and questions. I was seen as a quiet person that never really said much, but I would rather this than the other option. Always I tried to hide my stutter.
These feelings and actions happened all through my school years. It was lucky that I played a lot of sport and succeeded at it. I had this to fall back on and it detracted from people focussing too much on my stutter.
Of course though, we grow older, and people start giving you more responsibility. With this come certain duties and an increase in public speaking. Things like answering the phone and making calls, presentations and speeches to make and job related activities like announcing over a speaker system. Public speaking froze me; I went really tense, my throat went dry and it was something I desperately tried to avoid.
Having a stutter and having trouble speaking is perceived by most people as not knowing what you are talking about. This can cause problems with sales, customer service or keeping a conversation. All of these, I have had problems with, and if you think the other person is frustrated, it is nothing compared to your own frustration. In my opinion, people who stutter are intelligent; we just need a bit more time to say things. It can affect job prospects and what career you get into. I nearly didn’t get my present job because certain people thought I wouldn’t be able to perform certain tasks, because of my stutter.
People who stutter also have to put up with people putting words in their mouths, or answering for them. These two things I cannot stand at all, as people always seem to be in a rush and need quick answers. Assumptions get made and trouble can happen, because people assume you said so and so, when you actually wanted to say something else.
Since starting treatment though, things have progressed. I now have the tools to get through situations and be fluent. There are still days in which everything seems hopeless and I have a bad day, but I have learnt to accept it and just get through it.
I have learned that my stutter is just a thing I sometimes do and that the earth is not going to stop turning because I do it. I now don’t try to hide it and have told people upfront I do have one. Knowing that there are people out there with the same condition, that information is available and that research is being conducted on the causes of stuttering, makes me realize that I am not alone, and I would encourage people with this condition, to seek out this information and get treatment as soon as possible, however young they are. My main wish is to be able to make people more aware of stuttering and it’s implications on people who experience it.
Vernon age 20
Article "Coming To Terms With My Stutter" Provided by youthsspeak.com.au
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