Stuttering Taken as Joke

What do we know about stuttering? How can we overcome it? Problem starts with knowledge, people take it as a simple issue, they think it happens to people who have low confidence or self-esteem. So they say things like “it’s only in your head” “try to gain control over yourself” “just slow down take a breath” and many more. So let’s clear that up.

Firstly emotional trauma is not a reason behind stuttering. It is a communication and disfluency disorder where the flow of speech is interrupted. Many people face this issue without having a stuttering disorder. But people with this disorder generally stuttering on 10% of their words.

There are approximately 70 million people who stutter worldwide, which is 1% of total population. It begins in the childhood and usually goes away in adulthood but if it doesn’t then it becomes a lifelong condition. It can be recovered in early age by taking therapies because it’s easy to overcome in childhood then in adulthood. It has different impact which depends on individuals some face repetition problem and some face prolongations and some face stoppage.

Most researchers now classify it as a neurological condition with genetic probabilities. Approximately 60% of those who stutter have a family member who does also, with biological defects sometimes appearing in our genes, another reason to take stuttering seriously because if we don’t then it will pass on to our children and our negligence will create so many consequences for next generation.

Now let’s talk about what makes it worse. According to my experience some people make fun of you intentionally and some will do unintentionally, they think it’s happening because other person is not prepared or is scared of public speaking (Although that doesn’t allow anyone to make fun of other’s insecurities). That again points towards lack of knowledge.

As Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. Recently stated in his speech “You know, stuttering, when you think about it, is the only handicap that people still laugh about,” Biden said. “That still humiliate people about.”

As we say “If you can’t say something nice than stay quite”. Before saying something rude to someone just take a minute and think that your few words can make or break someone, not everyone is strong, just imagine that you can mess-up someone’s whole life, I bet no one wants to do that.

What to do when someone stutters?

So advice for people who encounter people with stuttering disorder what you have to do is in conversation, don’t interrupt or finish their sentences, and don’t give uninvited advice about their speech or offer up potential “solutions”. Likewise, stuttering is not caused by the speed or pace of a person’s speech; therefore, it’s impractical to advise to “slow down” or “relax.”

Instead wait patiently and try to maintain eye contact. If you don’t understand something ask them instead of pretending. Let them know that they are as valuable as others. Listen to them, they might have many great thoughts to share and it’s worth waiting.

by: Abeer Arashad 

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