When a person has a stutter or a parent realises that their child is developing a stutter they often want to find out the cause. So what causes a stutter?
The answer is many things can trigger someone starting to stutter. These are some of them:
It can be a traumatic event
It can run in the family
People may copy a friend at school who has a stutter and then it sticks An over aggressive relative
Last year I had a female client who told me how she had developed a stutter. She was fluent until the age of twenty four. At this age she became pregnant for the first time, she was very happy and excited about the prospects about becoming a mother.
She was apprehensive about the birth and her friends had been winding her up telling her how painful the experience is. She knew that they were only teasing and tried to keep relaxed.
The day of the birth arrived and unfortunately the delivery was particulary hard and she was extremely shocked about how bad it actually was. After the birth of the baby, who was a healthy boy she developed the stutter.
Not all people who stutter have it from an early age, another one of my clients was fluent until the age of nineteen. At this age he had a car crash and this was the trigger to him starting to stutter.
Stephen Hill
Childhood Stutter
A stutter normally starts for people in childhood and is often referred to as a childhood stutter. This is often very worrying for parents and the child and it is difficult to know where to seek help for the person who has the stutter.
There are many types of stutter. Family and friends may not even be aware that a person they know has a stutter. That is because the person is able to hide the stutter, by using word avoidance or word substitution.
Other people are unable to do this and have what they would consider an openely more severe stutter.
A stutter would normally occur more when a person is:
under pressure
when tired
meeting new people
speaking in an uncomfortable situation
asking questions, for example asking for directions
introducing people
Stuttering can also be known in some areas as stammering.
Stutter therapy:
People who have a stutter have different options when seeking therapy. They can go to a speech therapist or speech pathologist. Alternatively they can attend a speech course. These courses can be on a group basis or on a one to one basis.
I personally prefer and advise one to one stutter courses as I believe every person who has a stutter is an individual and has their own individual type stutter.
There are many types of stutter. Family and friends may not even be aware that a person they know has a stutter. That is because the person is able to hide the stutter, by using word avoidance or word substitution.
Other people are unable to do this and have what they would consider an openely more severe stutter.
A stutter would normally occur more when a person is:
under pressure
when tired
meeting new people
speaking in an uncomfortable situation
asking questions, for example asking for directions
introducing people
Stuttering can also be known in some areas as stammering.
Stutter therapy:
People who have a stutter have different options when seeking therapy. They can go to a speech therapist or speech pathologist. Alternatively they can attend a speech course. These courses can be on a group basis or on a one to one basis.
I personally prefer and advise one to one stutter courses as I believe every person who has a stutter is an individual and has their own individual type stutter.
Eliminate The Stutterings
Some people lose confidence upon facing other people due to a speech problem known as stuttering. This is a severe condition in speech that experiences problems in fluency. Its symptoms include the person's facial muscles becoming tensed as he or she tries to speak. This is very common to children who are just beginning to talk. Stuttering is a disfluency that causes them to repeat some of their words' syllables. Although this is normal, the severity can cause concern for some parents.
This speech problem starts in the early childhood while they are at their developing stage and some would stutter at least ten to fifteen per cent of their total speech. Though, this does not affect one's intellect, it affects one's social state, especially when they begin to date and mingle with other people. It is for this reason that others would opt to be loners and just choose a career that does not involve meeting people.
There are inconsistent degrees of stuttering. Some people do not stutter when they do other special skills like dancing or singing or even delivering a declamation piece. There are also those who do not stutter on good days but just start to stutter on other days.
There are two important things that a stutterer should keep in mind when trying to communicate in order to prevent stuttering:
1. Thinking of all the things before starting to talk is helpful. This makes the person more sure of the words and things that will be coming out of his mouth. According to a recent study, people who have this speech defect are often more intelligent than those who are not. The only problem is that, since they think too fast at times, their mouth is left behind; thus, stuttering begins. The rhythm of their speech does not coincide on how they think. That is why thinking first is highly advisable. Begin with just trying to slow down when trying to talk. It must be how the head is thinking. Once this is practiced, speed of speech can be practiced to normal.
2. Say the words mentally first. Practicing what is about to be said is helpful prior to saying it out loud to others. This is called aural visualization, the same technique successful people are doing when they try to visualize their positive future and success even before it starts to happen. Literally, say the words and hear every single word in your mind before saying it loudly.
This speech problem starts in the early childhood while they are at their developing stage and some would stutter at least ten to fifteen per cent of their total speech. Though, this does not affect one's intellect, it affects one's social state, especially when they begin to date and mingle with other people. It is for this reason that others would opt to be loners and just choose a career that does not involve meeting people.
There are inconsistent degrees of stuttering. Some people do not stutter when they do other special skills like dancing or singing or even delivering a declamation piece. There are also those who do not stutter on good days but just start to stutter on other days.
There are two important things that a stutterer should keep in mind when trying to communicate in order to prevent stuttering:
1. Thinking of all the things before starting to talk is helpful. This makes the person more sure of the words and things that will be coming out of his mouth. According to a recent study, people who have this speech defect are often more intelligent than those who are not. The only problem is that, since they think too fast at times, their mouth is left behind; thus, stuttering begins. The rhythm of their speech does not coincide on how they think. That is why thinking first is highly advisable. Begin with just trying to slow down when trying to talk. It must be how the head is thinking. Once this is practiced, speed of speech can be practiced to normal.
2. Say the words mentally first. Practicing what is about to be said is helpful prior to saying it out loud to others. This is called aural visualization, the same technique successful people are doing when they try to visualize their positive future and success even before it starts to happen. Literally, say the words and hear every single word in your mind before saying it loudly.
Help For Stuttering
For people who have fluent speech, it is hard to imagine what it must be like for people who stutter.
Going through life with a speech impediment is quite difficult, and at times the stutterer would appreciate a little more compasion.
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.
Going through life with a speech impediment is quite difficult, and at times the stutterer would appreciate a little more compasion.
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.
Kill Your Stuttering Demons
Apparently one percent of British people suffer from the speech impediment called stuttering. Only people who stutter can ever really know how difficult life can become when you are unable to speak fluently in all situations.
This article looks into examples of what I call, the stuttering demons and options of how to eradicate them once and for all.
When I had a stutter, I used to be afraid of certain words beginning with certain letters. Words which began with "b" were especially hard to say. If somebody asked me where I lived, I would have a voice in my head, which is what I call my demons, which would tell me that I could not say the word "Birmingham". It would also advise to say "West Midlands" instead. This word substitution is something that I regularly did. I was not happy though and was desperate to stop this voice and believed if I could stop it, then I would be able to overcome this stuttering disablity once and for all.
I would see a potential job in the newspaper, the demons would tell me not to apply for it as the interview would be too difficult for me with the pressure of having to answer all of the questions which would be asked. I used to listen to these demons and therefore would not apply for these positions, I stayed in the same dead end job for six years.
When I was about sixteen I became drunk for the first time and the alcohol gave me a huge but somewhat false confidence boost. I now had no fear and the demons did not appear, I was also able to talk superbly. Now I am not saying that you should all be in a permanent drunken state, however this showed me not only was I able to talk well but that the stammer must not only be a physical impediment but also physcological.
There are many forms of stuttering help out there including tradional speech therapy, group speech courses, one to one speech courses and even hypnotherapy. I personally believe that the way to go is one to one speech courses as every person who has a stutter is an individual and has an individual stutter.
This article looks into examples of what I call, the stuttering demons and options of how to eradicate them once and for all.
When I had a stutter, I used to be afraid of certain words beginning with certain letters. Words which began with "b" were especially hard to say. If somebody asked me where I lived, I would have a voice in my head, which is what I call my demons, which would tell me that I could not say the word "Birmingham". It would also advise to say "West Midlands" instead. This word substitution is something that I regularly did. I was not happy though and was desperate to stop this voice and believed if I could stop it, then I would be able to overcome this stuttering disablity once and for all.
I would see a potential job in the newspaper, the demons would tell me not to apply for it as the interview would be too difficult for me with the pressure of having to answer all of the questions which would be asked. I used to listen to these demons and therefore would not apply for these positions, I stayed in the same dead end job for six years.
When I was about sixteen I became drunk for the first time and the alcohol gave me a huge but somewhat false confidence boost. I now had no fear and the demons did not appear, I was also able to talk superbly. Now I am not saying that you should all be in a permanent drunken state, however this showed me not only was I able to talk well but that the stammer must not only be a physical impediment but also physcological.
There are many forms of stuttering help out there including tradional speech therapy, group speech courses, one to one speech courses and even hypnotherapy. I personally believe that the way to go is one to one speech courses as every person who has a stutter is an individual and has an individual stutter.
Reasons People Start To Stutter
When a person develops a stutter or a parent realises that their child is developing a stutter they often want to find out the cause. It can be very disturbing and worrying to a person and parents, so what causes a stutter?
The answer is many things can trigger someone starting to stutter. These are some of them:
It can be a traumatic event
It can run in the family
People may copy a friend at school who has a stutter and then it sticks
An over aggressive relative
Last year I had a female client who told me how she had developed a stutter. She was fluent until the age of twenty four. At this age she became pregnant for the first time, she was very happy and excited about the prospects about becoming a mother.
She was apprehensive about the birth and her friends had been winding her up telling her how painful the experience is. She knew that they were only teasing and tried to keep relaxed.
The day of the birth arrived and unfortunately the delivery was particulary hard and she was extremely shocked about how bad it actually was. After the birth of the baby, who was a healthy boy she developed the stutter.
Not all people who stutter have it from an early age, another one of my clients was fluent until the age of nineteen. At this age he had a car crash and this was the trigger to him starting to stutter.
Many people who stutter have a parent or relative who has a stutter and they have picked up their stuttering habit possibly from this person.
There are many stutter treatments now available from one to one speech courses or group courses as well as traditional speech therapy.
The answer is many things can trigger someone starting to stutter. These are some of them:
It can be a traumatic event
It can run in the family
People may copy a friend at school who has a stutter and then it sticks
An over aggressive relative
Last year I had a female client who told me how she had developed a stutter. She was fluent until the age of twenty four. At this age she became pregnant for the first time, she was very happy and excited about the prospects about becoming a mother.
She was apprehensive about the birth and her friends had been winding her up telling her how painful the experience is. She knew that they were only teasing and tried to keep relaxed.
The day of the birth arrived and unfortunately the delivery was particulary hard and she was extremely shocked about how bad it actually was. After the birth of the baby, who was a healthy boy she developed the stutter.
Not all people who stutter have it from an early age, another one of my clients was fluent until the age of nineteen. At this age he had a car crash and this was the trigger to him starting to stutter.
Many people who stutter have a parent or relative who has a stutter and they have picked up their stuttering habit possibly from this person.
There are many stutter treatments now available from one to one speech courses or group courses as well as traditional speech therapy.
Severe Stutter
Stutter or stuttering can have a dramatic effect on somebodys confidence.
Fluent people really can not comprehend how hard it is to live your life with a speech impediment or stutter.
I run one to one speech courses in Birmingham and one of my clients once told me about a situation he was involved in. He and his friends went to a bar one Saturday afternoon to have a few drinks. After a couple of pints he went up to the bar to order himself a drink. Unfortunately he could not speak all of the words fluently and the bar man accused him of being drunk and refused to serve him. He tried to explain that he was not drunk but had a stutter but the bar man said "That's what they all say"
He returned to his friends who asked him where his drink was. He told them what had happened, this itself was very embarressing.
This is a typical situation people who have a stutter find themselves in.
Stuttering can affect many aspects of a persons life including:
confidence
friendships
careers
relationships
school
Now that I have overcome a stutter it is like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and life is so much easier.
Fluent people really can not comprehend how hard it is to live your life with a speech impediment or stutter.
I run one to one speech courses in Birmingham and one of my clients once told me about a situation he was involved in. He and his friends went to a bar one Saturday afternoon to have a few drinks. After a couple of pints he went up to the bar to order himself a drink. Unfortunately he could not speak all of the words fluently and the bar man accused him of being drunk and refused to serve him. He tried to explain that he was not drunk but had a stutter but the bar man said "That's what they all say"
He returned to his friends who asked him where his drink was. He told them what had happened, this itself was very embarressing.
This is a typical situation people who have a stutter find themselves in.
Stuttering can affect many aspects of a persons life including:
confidence
friendships
careers
relationships
school
Now that I have overcome a stutter it is like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and life is so much easier.
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