Living with a stutter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is it like to live with a stutter? There is an excellent brief article by Rachel Goodman at the US Cardiology Review on September 9, 2024 titled Big Girl Words. She is a cardiology fellow at Tufts Medical Center. Rachel says:

“I have smiled and waved a lot in my life, often related to my speech. I stutter. I am not nervous, hesitant, or unsure of myself. Rather, there is some neurological issue that is frankly far too complex for my understanding which leads to a repetition of sounds and blocked words.

It starts with a blockage in my throat and leads to squinting eyes and pursed lips in an attempt to force the words out, making it challenging for my breath to keep up with my voice. I can feel it coming before it happens and often have enough time or foresight to change my words to ones that will leave my mouth more smoothly.

While the embarrassment of the stutter has lessened with time and my fluency has increased with intensive speech therapy, the stutter will always be there. The deep guttural Gs and lip-smacking Ps will always be my hardest, but I’ve learned ways to compensate.

Experience has taught me to not let this speech impediment define who I am or what I do. It took time and motivation to get here. I have worked hard throughout my life to obtain some semblance of fluency, devoting countless hours to after-school speech therapy, week-long speech intensives during my time off, and practicing saying my name while sitting on the floor in front of a mirror on nights and weekends.

I am not a shy person but, because of my stutter, I often dread occasions that require public speaking: introductions, doing rounds in the hospital, reading out loud, and presenting at a podium….

Reflecting upon my experience as a trainee with a stutter, it has – perhaps paradoxically – taught me a lot about communication. Having a stutter has taught me to be thoughtful and to think ahead. I’ve learned how to perform under pressure and overcome embarrassment. In undergoing speech therapy, I’ve learned diaphragmatic breathing and how to manipulate my muscles to facilitate fluent speech; though the speech may sound slow, it may also come across as thoughtful and patient. Stuttering has taught me the importance of giving people grace instead of rushing to assumptions.”

 

The image was adapted from this one at Openclipart.