OK I stutter. And I just want to check if anyone here or known someone who has this speech impediment. Usual things I'm having difficulty doing: 1. Saying my name 2. Speaking through a telephone, mobile phone, conference meetings, etc. 3. Speaking in public Although it would appear most people don't know this condition. And, it's common you've been ridiculed, but yes it is what it is, and somehow I've come to accept that it's what makes me/us special.
I had a classmate in college who stammered/stuttered badly and he was quite a brilliant guy and well-liked. Nobody ridiculed him. And stammering didn't stop him from reciting in class or talking with his large circle of friends. He emigrated to Australia and when he came back after some years for a reunion with his old classmates, he wasn't stuttering any more. We didn't ask him how he got rid of it. I think that the moral of the story is that you shouldn't stop talking/interacting with friends. If they're really your friends, they'd still like you, no matter what. You can search the web to get tips on this condition. Cheers!
You’re not alone... I stuttered from 3 years to 10 years old my mother used to say...I seemed to have lost it when I somehow screamed during circumcision (really, no laughing)...look how I ended up today...
Thanks for everyone's reply. No actually I think I'm better "controlling" my stuttering compared to those I've seen in Youtube. I just want to start a thread about this. One is for awareness, and that other of hoping to meet someone who still stutters in his/her adult life. Probably be able to share some experiences and offer insights of overcoming or at the very least controlling it. I'm a part time instructor too in the university so I'm really trying not to let this disorder stop me of accomplishing something. Some of those that I've shared my condition with were quite surprised and didn't notice it. And yes, somehow I was able to woo girls before, marry and have a family.
I also stutter from time to time, especially if I can't find the right words to articulate myself which was way worse when I was in Elementary days hence I usually stay silent to save myself of potentially embarrassing my self.
Mine was opposite. I remember being fluent in my younger elementary years. I even joined some declamation. It started around 3rd to 4th year highschool. I was speaking quite fast but not yet stuttering. It got worse during college up until the time of job hunting. I suppose it took me more than five (5) companies before getting hired. It was really struggle at that time that I remember getting quite hopeless already. Somehow I got better grades but I was getting left out as some of my batchates were already finding jobs. And yes, it was really common to get ridiculed. Even my former boss sadly... but somehow I was able to have more courage to explain my condition to almost everyone and they did understand eventually. I even posted in Facebook few years back that I stutter. It really made a difference as if a heavy load was finally lifted out my chest.
My son had a speech delay when he was young. We brought him to a speciali5t(I forget what doctor). He has OT in his school in the afternoon. He adjusted in about 4 years, and now it's barely there. It worked for him. During his younger years, he had a hard time expressing himself and sometimes gets frustrated. But he wasn't shy about his condition. When we asked him if he's ok or if the other kids would give him a hard time, he said, "should I care dad?". I like the spunk in him. Although, he did have supportive friends around him. It was the opposite with my daughter, who started talking before she turned one. She talks a lot, or is that how girls really are?
Yes I believed parents have the role for early intermediation of any condition for that matter for their children. Unfortunately I think in my case (in the 80’s) this condition wasn’t that understood that’s why my parents didn’t do something about it. Although in my 20’s my dad had me go to speech power which I realized was entirely not the proper treatment. Well I don’t blame anyone. It’s just that information was lacking before. But I do believe I inherited this somewhere. There were studies made that this could be hereditary.
@abielbad if you started in younger years with excellent communication skills and gradually decreases overtime, maybe social anxiety plays a big part why a sudden change..
Hi, thank you for sharing your experience here. I'm a Certified Speech-Language Pathologist who helps people with speech problems including stuttering. If you are interested in seeking help from professionals like me I would be glad to refer you to practitioners within the area of your choosing. Just PM me anytime. And if you like to meet people who also have stuttering, we have a fb support group named Philippine Stuttering Associaton. All the best to you and your endeavors!
It's replies like this—and the courage of the OP/TS—that make the Internet worthwhile. It's the signal amidst all the noise. So even if I am not directly a beneficiary of your reply, we are all indirect beneficiaries of your sharing spirit. /fistbump
My Daughter has been diagnosed last year with Speech Delay, she's now turning three and can say her ABC's and count numbers from 1-10. She says ching for sing, nanana for lalala. She's currently undergoing Speech and Occupational Therapy. I know how tough it can be both for the Parent and the Child. For the Parents, especially for moms like me if we did something wrong during our pregnancy. For the kids, they get bullied. I'm thankful that I was able to find and enroll her in a school that nurtures her and focuses on her strength rather than her weakness.
Exactly the same thing with me! I used to stutter a lot in grade school that I also avoided raising my hand in class (well aside from times I don't know the answer also hehe). It lessened during high school & college, but now, I sometimes still do.
There's a terrific Ted Talk by Australian singer-songwriter Megan Washington, who stutters while talks about her stuttering, and then she launches into a song... https://www.ted.com/talks/megan_washington_why_i_live_in_mortal_dread_of_public_speaking
Speech is handled by the left side of the brain. Singing is on the right side. Yes, it’s impossible to stutter while singing. https://www.stammering.org/speaking-out/article/science-stammering
Nice quote from Megan Washington “Singing for me is sweet relief, it is the only time when I feel fluent,” she explains. “Somehow, through some miraculous synaptic function of the human brain, it’s impossible to stutter when you sing,...”
My social skills took a hit, to make matters worse, I was an antisocial to begin with. I was not really confident nor comfortable with what I had to say but I was open-minded and willing. Eventually, when I reached in college, out of sheer necessity, I learned to step up and express myself verbally in an organized and fluent manner. At some point, I was surrounded by opinionated misinformed individuals that I had to step up and voice out, the stuttering just regressed that it never resurfaced when I graduated. It was a learning albeit tumultuous experience for me, as isolated as I was. In my own alienating silence, I gained clarity not only with the world around me, but with myself as well and for that I am grateful.
