Introduction To YOUTHSSPEAK – A Website For Young People Who Stutter 

The Australian Speak Easy Association has been helping people who stutter since 1980. We run support groups, conferences, booster days, and camps and produce newsletters. One of our biggest challenges is trying to help and support young people who stutter. Young people who stutter often don’t like support groups or therapy and they do not respond to this type of help. However later in life when they wish to work on their speech and try and address issues around their stutter, they seek support, self-help and Speak Easy. 

In the meantime as young people who stutter, we often feel isolated, frustrated and we struggle with our stutter. This time of our life is difficult enough with puberty, adolescent, schooling, career planning and becoming a young adult, regardless of our stutter.  

These are delicate and important years and most adults who stutter report their teenage years and early adulthood as one of the most difficult times of their life. There may be limited opportunity for young people to communicate in an environment where they feel accepted and supported by their peers. 

This website, youthsspeak, seeks to provide a service that enables young people around Australia to come together and discuss common problems, issues and concerns about their stuttering. You will be able to be supported and accepted by each other, as opposed to being teased, rejected and isolated by your fluent peers. There will be information, resources, tips links and your stories and journeys. 

We will encourage you to set up youth groups, with Speak Easy providing you with resources, information, networks, infrastructure and support to get you going. All that it needs is 3 or 4 people with that common bond and common need as people who stutter. This will enable and empower you to tackle your issues associated with stuttering as you see fit. 

When considering treatment and fluency options, you will be able to discuss the range of treatments, its success rates, the difficulties, the amount of practise requirements and the time commitments with others who have already done such programs. You will be making informed choices about therapy, rather than going to speech pathology because your parents send you.  

The web page is specifically aimed at the 15 to 25 year old age group and will enable you to communicate freely and openly with your peers who stutter. It will provide you with the opportunity to network with others who are in similar situations and are experiencing related issues providing you with much needed support, understanding and empathy.

The National Stuttering Association (NSA) In America states “Stuttering can be especially difficult in the teenage years. Avoidance is more difficult to manage and many teens are more reluctant to discuss their stuttering openly with peers and parents. Meeting others who are going through the same experiences through groups like the NSA -- with its Annual Conference and monitored Chat Room for teenage members -- provides help and understanding and can enhance the success of therapy programs.”

The British Stammerers Association says “Young adults and stammering - double trouble?”

“For many people their memory of the difficult years prior to adulthood is not happy: so much conflict, irritation and frustration. You are struggling to become independent, whilst at the same time learning to cope with the physical and mental changes that go along with sexual development. Making friends becomes more challenging as your own expectations of relationships change.

Let's talk about it

No one mentions stammering to you and you avoid talking about it. It starts in early childhood. Doctors and well-meaning adults tell parents to "ignore it and it will go away". Parents are often led to believe that " if we talk about his stammering to him it will make it worse". Yet, we know that the earlier the problem is tackled the greater the chances of overcoming it.

Throughout your childhood many problems have been discussed in the open - except perhaps stammering. Often people pretend it is not happening. You constantly battle to avoid doing it - maybe making it worse because of your anxiety to hide it.

It may be, of course, that this silence has developed to stop people being embarrassed. You do not talk to them because you believe they do not want to talk about it, and they do not talk to you because they believe you do not want to talk about it!

There is no doubt that not being able to discuss a problem with anyone makes the problem much worse.”

The Youthsspeak website is designed to help you discuss your problems and talk about your stuttering with other people who have the same experiences, emotions and feelings as yourself.