Rapping and no stuttering!

This young man did not benefit from speech therapy. It helps some, but some find that they do not profit from it. It may be that going to a specialist for those who stutter would help him. At least he found his voice in rapping. I like his attitude "Don’t let one small thing get in between your dreams. We are who we are.”

Click on the title of this post to go to the article about Jake Zeldin.

Stuttering advice

Saying “take a deep breath before talking,” or “think about what you want to say first” is the advice given to people who stutter. I see it all over the internet from well-meaning people who really don't have a clue about stuttering. This advice only makes the person more self-conscious, making the stuttering worse. People who stutter, specialists, and The Stuttering Foundation will tell you what really helps are listening patiently and modeling slow and clear speech yourself.

Tips for doing a presentation if you stutter

Know your subject matter really well and practice reading to your dog or just out loud to yourself ahead of time.

Look over the heads of the class at a point on the wall in the back of the room. The class will think you are looking at them, and the teacher will think you are looking at your audience.

Don't notice any reaction from the class. Their reaction doesn't matter, but it might make you feel more nervous.

Concentrate on what you are saying rather than how you are saying it.

Don't try to keep from stuttering as that will make you stutter more. If you stutter, just let it happen.

Maintain a steady pace, not too fast, and don't get in a hurry to "get it over with."

Speak in a relaxed manner and pause every so often.

Start into words easily keeping your lips, tongue, and jaw relaxed.

Realize that stuttering occurs more often when you are trying NOT to stutter, when you are under stress, and when you are tired.

Stuttering and suicidal thoughts

It is sad to see posts online by people who stutter saying that they wish they never had been born or that they are considering ending their lives because of their stuttering. Family members and peers need to reassure anyone who stutters that they are important and they are able to be an asset to society even though the stutter. There is help for stuttering, and the list of Famous People who Stutter on the web site of the Stuttering Foundation proves that you can do anything you want to do in life even if you stutter. My guess is that many of the people who have these types of thoughts are teens. Being a teenager is a hard time in a person's life. There is so much stress in being between a child and an adult, getting ready to leave home, trying to do well in school if you want to go on to college, trying to get a job (hard enough for those who speak well), and so many other things.

Talk to your parents, pastor, and/or counselor about your feelings and worries.

Get help for your stuttering - the Stuttering Foundation has free online books and videos plus referrals to speech therapists almost anywhere.

Put your emphasis on your strengths; think about what you do well; develop those areas as you may find that the less you think about your stuttering the less you will stutter.

Go ahead and talk; stutter on through what you have to say; don't try NOT to stutter.

Realize that everyone has something that they consider a limitation in their life; some just are not easily seen like stuttering.

Parents; get help for your child as early as possible so he/she doesn't have this happen to him/her.

Techniques for stuttering

The techniques used in "The King's Speech" are some that are still used. Therapists find that different things work best with different stutterers. This could be why so many people say that they have gone to several therapists and nobody has helped them. If they would stay with one long enough, that one would find the best way to help. It is just like going to a doctor for arthritis. People go "doctor hopping" because "that doctor didn't help" but it takes some time for a doctor to figure out what medicine or technique works best for you. Of course, it always helps to have a good doctor or therapist, too! That is where it helps to find your speech therapist through the Stuttering Foundation of America because they can recommend one who has been trained to work with stutterers. They have lists of referrals worldwide.

Eye contact

Gain eye contact before you start talking. Maintain that eye contact. Looking away breaks the communication link with the other person.

“Maintaining eye contact may sound easy. For many people it is very hard. I know stutterers who have gone through various therapies with some success but who still have been unable to break their old habit of looking away from their listener when a block begins.” – Murray

The Stuttering Foundation says to start by looking at yourself in the mirror and keep eye contact with yourself. Then look at yourself in the mirror while making some phone calls. Concentrate on looking at others even when they look away if you start stuttering.

Do as much speaking as you can

"Since speaking is a healthy form of self-expression, the stutterer should encourage himself to 'speak up' and speak with others, not as a performance task, but as a means of arriving at social communion and communication. At first, this will appear embarrassing and difficult, but the more you accept your shortcomings and the less you put emphasis on your impediment, the more relaxed you will become and the greater interest you will develop in self-expression." (Barbara)

Some people who stutter have said that joining Toastmasters did them much good. They got so much practice speaking in front of the group, and got such good feedback and support from the group that it became easier for them to address a group situation in other areas.

Relaxation helps stuttering

Learning relaxation techniques can help those who stutter. A Stutterer's Story, written by Fred Murray and published by the Stuttering Foundation of America, states "...relaxation...is always conducive to fluency. Furthermore, the isolated and protected nature of almost every therapy situation encourages a kind of relaxation which is characterized by diminishing fear. This is probably the major reason why the proponents of so many stuttering therapies can point to a fast initial decrease in stuttering - stuttering is dramatically increased by fear."

The fear of having to stand up in front of class, or read aloud in front of snickering classmates is known to many a stutterer. Worrying about a presentation can make one physically sick, and some teachers and classmates are no help as they have no idea what it is like to stutter.

Smooth talking

One thing that speech therapists recommend (Self Therapy for the Stutterer does, too) is to slow your speech so you are talking in a smooth, prolonged manner. Sliding through the beginning sound of words into the rest of the sounds in what they call an "easy onset" manner. Practicing this way of talking very slowly will seem unnatural but it will help and you can gradually increase the speed as words come easily for you. If you are having a bad time, go back to the slow rate again.

Talking is harder when you are tired

One thing that I noticed about my relatives who stuttered was that they had a harder time and stuttered more when they were tired. One cousin, who never stuttered when he was talking with me, had a day that he just couldn't get anything out smoothly. He admitted that he had stayed up late the night before working on a school project in order to be able to come to the family gathering and have his work ready to hand in the following Monday. He said that he often noticed that he stuttered more when he was tired. He had to make sure that he planned his life so that he was never short-changed on sleep. If he didn't, he paid for it by not being able to talk well the following day. I wonder if that is true for all people who stutter. I know that I often have lapses of memory and not being able to think of the right word I want when I am tired.