New Era - New Me
I am crawling out of my "tight wad" and facing the world! I have been doing one thing each day that is hard for someone who stutters. I say something to someone that I don't usually talk easily with, I pick up that darn telephone, I ask a question, I introduce myself, etc. As I am facing the things that I fear doing, I find that the fear is not as bad. If Biden can rise above his stuttering to become our Vice President, surely I can get out of bed each day and greet the world. I can't do anything to make this a better place to live if I don't tackle my problems. There are others just like me who are struggling with stuttering. If all of us show the world that we can be effective despite our "tangled tongues," maybe the world will view us differently and will treat us better. The Stuttering Foundation has an article about Biden here http://www.stutteringhelp.org/Default.aspx?tabid=725.
Escape
Is it the change in the weather, the shorter days, or just me? I feel like crawling in bed, getting in a tight wad, and ignoring life. Oh, to sleep and have no cares. To have good dreams and escape the world.
Raising Awareness of Stuttering
The game on this page http://www.quia.com/cb/2807.html is True False Jeopardy-Type game. I bet everyone who stutters can get all the questions right. It would be enlightening for everyone to try it.
Nobody Knows
Nobody but someone else who stutters would know the feelings I have each day, the dread of answering the phone, the terror when asked a question, the feelings of despair when trying to join in a conversation, etc. Nobody knows where I have been and sometimes still go. I am that clown who is crying on the inside. I can paste on a cheerleader smile and go about my day, but that smile is very deceitful. I can look in the mirror and see a smiling face, but it isn't the real me. One of these days, I hope to feel the real smile.
I don't want to do it
Having been in the depths of depression for awhile, I am slowly coming out. This poem expresses my feelings.
I don't want money
I don't want fame
I don't want to add
Any laurels to my name
I don't want to travel
I don't want to "drink"
I don't want to read
I don't want to think
I don't want to eat
I don't want to walk
I don't want to sing
I don't want to talk
I don't want to "get"
I don't want to give
I don't want to die
And I don't want to live
But thought life is perplexing
I've gotta live through it
In spite of the fact
That I don't want to do it.
Helen Steiner Rice
I don't want money
I don't want fame
I don't want to add
Any laurels to my name
I don't want to travel
I don't want to "drink"
I don't want to read
I don't want to think
I don't want to eat
I don't want to walk
I don't want to sing
I don't want to talk
I don't want to "get"
I don't want to give
I don't want to die
And I don't want to live
But thought life is perplexing
I've gotta live through it
In spite of the fact
That I don't want to do it.
Helen Steiner Rice
What stuttering is...
Here are some quotes my therapist gave me about stuttering:
"Stuttering is, in part, a deeply conditioned habit involving incorrect use of the physical speech mechanism." Murray
"Stuttering is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (lllllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak." SFA
"Stuttered speech often includes repetitions of words or parts of words, as well as prolongations of speech sounds. These disfluencies occur more often in persons who stutter than they do in the general population. Some people who stutter appear very tense or "out of breath" when talking. Speech may become completely stopped or blocked. Blocked is when the mouth is positioned to say a sound, sometimes for several seconds, with little or no sound forthcoming. After some effort, the person may complete the word. Interjections such as "um" or "like" can occur, as well, particularly when they contain repeated ("u- um- um") or prolonged ("uuuum") speech sounds or when they are used intentionally to delay the initiation of a word the speaker expects to "get stuck on."
Some examples of stuttering include:
"W- W- W- Where are you going?" (Part-word repetition: The person is having difficulty moving from the "w" in "where" to the remaining sounds in the word. On the fourth attempt, he successfully completes the word.)
"SSSSave me a seat." (Sound prolongation: The person is having difficulty moving from the "s" in "save" to the remaining sounds in the word. He continues to say the "s" sound until he is able to complete the word.)
"I'll meet you – um um you know like – around six o'clock." (A series of interjections: The person expects to have difficulty smoothly joining the word "you" with the word "around." In response to the anticipated difficulty, he produces several interjections until he is able to say the word "around" smoothly.)" ASHA
"Stuttering is, in part, a deeply conditioned habit involving incorrect use of the physical speech mechanism." Murray
"Stuttering is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (lllllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak." SFA
"Stuttered speech often includes repetitions of words or parts of words, as well as prolongations of speech sounds. These disfluencies occur more often in persons who stutter than they do in the general population. Some people who stutter appear very tense or "out of breath" when talking. Speech may become completely stopped or blocked. Blocked is when the mouth is positioned to say a sound, sometimes for several seconds, with little or no sound forthcoming. After some effort, the person may complete the word. Interjections such as "um" or "like" can occur, as well, particularly when they contain repeated ("u- um- um") or prolonged ("uuuum") speech sounds or when they are used intentionally to delay the initiation of a word the speaker expects to "get stuck on."
Some examples of stuttering include:
"W- W- W- Where are you going?" (Part-word repetition: The person is having difficulty moving from the "w" in "where" to the remaining sounds in the word. On the fourth attempt, he successfully completes the word.)
"SSSSave me a seat." (Sound prolongation: The person is having difficulty moving from the "s" in "save" to the remaining sounds in the word. He continues to say the "s" sound until he is able to complete the word.)
"I'll meet you – um um you know like – around six o'clock." (A series of interjections: The person expects to have difficulty smoothly joining the word "you" with the word "around." In response to the anticipated difficulty, he produces several interjections until he is able to say the word "around" smoothly.)" ASHA
Inspiration
I just read this article about Annie Glenn http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/07/29/Annie_Glenn.ART_ART_07-29-07_A1_D27D3IR.html.
I may not be able to go to the same program that she did, but I can improve my speech. I just know I can. I am more determined than ever to keep on keeping on with the techniques I am learning.
I may not be able to go to the same program that she did, but I can improve my speech. I just know I can. I am more determined than ever to keep on keeping on with the techniques I am learning.
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