What is Stuttering?
Stuttering is usually
perceived as being a speech disorder. Stuttering is actually an extremely
complex condition involving much more than repetitions of sounds,
prolongations of syllables and other "disfluencies". Stuttering affects the
person as a whole and can more adequately be described as a combination of
speech, communication and behavioral disorders.
Stuttering is often
compared to an iceberg and speech disorders only represent the tip of the
stuttering iceberg.
The bulk of the stuttering
iceberg lies below the surface and represents the communication and
behavioral disorders. A whole set of unusual communication patterns and
behaviors work hand in hand with the speech "disfluencies" that
non-stutterers inevitably notice:
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Stutterers tend to avoid eye contact with
their listeners. They probably do so because they don’t want to see their
listener’s reaction to their stuttering.
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Stutterers often have irregular breathing
patterns and try to speak with little or no air in their lungs. Some
stutterers even try to speak while inhaling.
-
Some stutterers avoid or try to avoid
stuttering by resorting to word substitution: If they feel they will
stutter on a particular word, they will replace it with another word with
a similar meaning. Some stutterers are so successful in using this
technique that nobody, not even their spouse, knows that they stutter.
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Stutterers often resort to the use of
useless words such as “you know”, “let’s see” etc. They feel that these
junk words will give them a running start that will help them successfully
rush through a feared word.
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Stutterers tend to react to stress by
tightening the muscles of their vocal cords. This probably explains why
stuttering often becomes worse when under stress.
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Many stutterers avoid stuttering by
avoiding speaking altogether.
In addition to these
unusual communication patterns and behaviors, many stutterers also have
negative feelings and perceptions about their stuttering and about
themselves:
-
Shame: stutterers are often ashamed of
their stuttering and often go to great length to try to hide it.
-
Guilt: stutterers often feel guilty about
not being able to achieve what they think they would be able to achieve if
only they could speak fluently.
-
Frustration: stutterers often feel
frustrated by their inability to communicate effectively with other
people.
-
Lowered self-esteem: stuttering often
induces a feeling of worthlessness.
All these hidden elements of the
stuttering phenomenon tend to reinforce the speech disorders and a speech
therapy focusing only on the speech mechanism is bound to fail. Only a
holistic and comprehensive stuttering therapy addressing each and every
aspect of the phenomenon can succeed in totally eliminating stuttering from
your life. This is something you should keep in mind when choosing a therapy
for stuttering.
Click
here to browse our selection of
therapies for stuttering. |