On stuttering

[Rine]

This thread has been very comforting to read. I was a delayed speaker. I had an extreme problem with stuttering and also I was diagnosed with dyslexia as well. But since I moved around so much as a child, I never was able to get good therapy and worked hard on my stuttering on my own.

The only major problems I have these days is cluttered speech and the like. Sometimes, I know what word I want to say but when it comes out of my mouth its different. The problem gets worse if I have to read something aloud or if I'm excited/nervous. Similiar things happen to me when I type; my brain rushes to get the words out so I end up typing the next word while I'm still in the middle of the first, if that makes sense. This is why I spend a lot of time proofreading my posts and also why I don't post a lot on any forums that I'm a part of.

My coping skill as a child was not to speak at all and to "forget" my fluency in Spanish; when I got into high school and not speaking couldn't be avoided, I spoke slowly, to the point where I was made fun of because they thought I was stupid. If I was ever picked to read out loud in class, I refused, even if I would get in trouble or points marked off.

The main reason I got out of cashiering at my job was because of my speaking problems and the fact that I would frequently type things in the wrong way (not necessary backwards)--my doctor said I have a processing problem. For instance, if I'm entering addresses or phone numbers into a computer, I MUST see it in order to put it in. Listening just doesn't work. It's not really a hearing problem. I can hear it, but I just can't get it. It's extrememly frustrating and difficult to describe.

So, I can't stand it when others get upset when someone is speaking slowly. If everyone in the world wasn't in such a hurry to get everything done, the world would be a much happier place.

[LadyAndreca]

I don't have a stutter, exactly, but I tend to verbally trip myself because my brain moves faster than my tongue. I also never learned to form 'sh' and 'ch' type sounds right, which gives me an odd but faint lisp, and I will get very self-conscious if I realize I'm doing it. I've learned to just stop mid-sentence, say 'excuse me', then repeat what I was trying to say in a slower, clearer tone. So far no one's complained... *crosses fingers*

[Der Cute]

Rine:
You are a visual learner.

That's what that means - not being able to store information if you're hearing it - you need to see it - visual.

http://www.learning-styles-online.co...isual-spatial/

http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/langu...alLearners.htm

I"m a visual/tactile learner. And there are days when I can't get the damn word out of my mouth!!! My tongue won't work to get it out and the stupid vocabulary fairy has shut down...
I don't stutter but speech is annoying for me at times.

Personally, I've dealt with a lot of people over the years. Non english speakers, heavy accents, ASL-deaf people, hearing aid (pronounciation is off) people....as long as I see you're trying, that's cool. I'd rather have a happy stutterer than a grumpy old auctioneer!

Cutenoob

[Seshat]

I don't stutter, but my family tells me that my speech changes when I get tired or stressed. I do suffer from aphasia - the tendency to sometimes completely forget words - and from whatever the word-swapping thing is called. Like calling a doughnut a fishtank and not realising I've got the entirely wrong word for the thing.

On top of that, I have hearing loss. Verbal communication is NOT my favourite thing. I can neither speak easily nor hear well. It really sucks.

As for having words found for me, or sentences finished: I prefer for people to just be patient, except for one of my coping strategies. If I'm saying 'it's that thing, you know, the red thing, you eat it, a fruit with internal seeds and white flesh' please supply the word 'apple'. I find I can describe the word by its concepts, but just can't find the word itself.

As for my hearing problems - I just tell people now. 'I've got a minor hearing problem that they can't correct with hearing aids, please bear with me if I have to ask you to repeat something.'

[Broomjockey]

I don't stutter, but my family tells me that my speech changes when I get tired or stressed. I do suffer from aphasia - the tendency to sometimes completely forget words - and from whatever the word-swapping thing is called. Like calling a doughnut a fishtank and not realising I've got the entirely wrong word for the thing.

Isn't that aphasia as well, just simply (ha, simple. Sorry, best word I can think of) a different kind? Sort of how there's two kinds of amnesia?

[PuckishOne]

I'll out myself here as a stutterer/stammerer as well - since I was around 5 I've dealt with it to varying degrees, and I've heard every comment you can imagine. My sympathies go out to all of you who have to deal with educating the idiotic - wish I could say it gets easier, but, alas, it doesn't. What does get better is your sense of self-esteem as you find yourself able to do things that "people like us" are thought to be unable to do - for me it's been public speaking, which I'm finding I enjoy more & more when the topic is something close to my heart.

If you haven't already, do a Google search for "stuttering resources" and find out if there are support/awareness groups in your area that you can work with. A little education goes a long way, and who better to lead the charge than those who have been there?