1Stutterer

Summer is here!

2009-06-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been working hard all year in school, we can finally relax a bit--for a while at least. Ah, it feels like years since its been here! This is our opportunity to do a little bit more of what we want, spend time with our friends and families, travel, and do whatever activities make us happy. For stutterers I want to remind you that during this time you can attend more workshops, gatherings, or which ever events come up. This is a better chance to meet new people and explore more paths.

Have a great summer everybody and good luck on all your projects and endeavors!

Reagan on National Stuttering Week

2009-05-11T23:02:00.001-07:00

(See my previous post for more information)

NATIONAL STUTTERING AWARENESS WEEK
1988
By the President of the United States

"The uniquely human ability to communicate thoughts through speech allows us to share our ideas almost as quickly as they occur, with little conscious effort. But for the more than three million Americans who stutter, speech is associated with struggle. Rapid-fire repetitions of sounds, prolonged vowels, and verbal blocks disrupt the smooth and easy flow of speech and limit the spontaneous exchange of ideas and feelings. Many stutterers suffer frustration and embarrassment that can lead to harmful emotion stress.

Stuttering has a tendency to be inherited, and it affects four times as many males as females. Children usually outgrow stuttering before reaching adulthood. When the disorder continues or begins in adults, it is considered chronic and very difficult to control.

(Then the proclamation discussed National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders (NINCDS) research into using toxin injections into the larynx muscles which has proven not to be an effective treatment for stuttering)

The NINCDS leads the Federal Government's research effort on stuttering, funding projects around the country in addition to conducting studies in its own laboratories. Research supported by private voluntary health agencies adds to the growing pool of knowledge. These private organizations also provide invaluable counseling and other services to stutterers and their families. Together, Federal and private groups call attention to simple ways the public can help; for example, many stutterers improve their speech when listeners know to be patient and supportive.

To enhance public awareness of stuttering, the Congress, by Public Law 100-263, has designated the period of May 9 though May 15, 1988 as "National Stuttering Awareness Week" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of that event. NOW, THEREFORE, I RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the period of May 9 thought May 15, 1988 as National Stuttering Awareness Week, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe that week with appropriate ceremonies and activities."

Signed Ronald Reagan

Source

National Stuttering Awareness Week

2009-05-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hello to all the millions of you who stutter of have family members who stutter!
Did you know many recognize the dates of May 11-17 as National Stuttering awareness week? Personally, I am quite aware of my stuttering through out the year, but when I found out about this I thought I should let others know also.

This was an idea by a person named Paul Castellano, with help from Barbara Koval. I'm guessing that in the mid 80's before things like the internet, many people didn't know squat about stuttering or that it was very misunderstood, and for those who did stutter there probably wasn't as much help and I'm sure many felt lonely. So determined people like Paul and Barbara took it upon themselves to start a thing like National Stuttering Awareness Week. Paul had a pretty severe stutter but he was able to muster up enough courage to present himself before several US Congressional subcommittees to raise much needed public awareness on the subject of stuttering. Paul and Barbara worked very hard to make NSAW a reality. Finally, in early April of 1988, Paul and Barb appeared at the US Capitol along with some important people for a ceremony that established NSAW.

Originally, this was to be a one time thing, but other organizations for stuttering have taken a liking to the idea and as it is, National Stuttering Awareness Week is promoted every year on the the second week of May.

So kudos to the efforts of Carl and Barbara and kudos to Ronald Reagan! They have done quite a service in being a major catalyst in spreading the knowledge and increasing efforts to make the problem of stuttering better for all of us. And to the people reading this, Have a nice week all of you! :)

A Teenager's Opinion on Stuttering and the Brain

2009-04-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Recently, many of those to whom I speak with would notice that my stuttering has increased quite a bit. I have so much trouble saying words that start with problem letters such as 'm' and 'w' that I resort to changing the word and saying a synonym such as 'female' instead of 'girl', 'black' instead of 'African-American' or even 'that wonderful continent' instead of 'Europe'! However, all this is when I know I am about to talk to someone, or I am about to have a conversation with an important person or was going to ask the teacher a question. On the other hand, I seemed to have improved my speech significantly when it comes to public speaking and school presentations when I am prepared, and I seem almost cured when I am speaking casually without thinking about my speaking, or when I am angry or energized. But I still stutter when I am about to approach a conversation. During the time I stutter a lot and am in the middle of a big block, it feels like there is a ball in my throat, and when I continue to stutter, it starts to hurt as if I have a minor sore throat. This is something new and strange for me.

So the old question rises again; what causes stuttering? In a couple of my past posts, I have discussed about how stuttering can be caused by a brain disorder, and I have even challenged that point. But now it seems as if the immediate cause, as in why my stuttering increases and decreases from time to time is a combination of brain function, psychology, and neurology. I am not a practitioner in these fields so I am not qualified to give actual serious statements on the cause of stuttering. I am just a high school teenage boy with stuttering and this is my opinion based on what I've read and experienced. So feel free to correct me if you have a better explanation or hypothesis.

I really think stuttering, the original problem is caused by a brain dysfunction on the part that controls speech. Yes, we know what we are going to say and can think like anyone. The problem is that the neurons probably have trouble firing their signals and getting the message to the tongue, vocal cords, lips and mouth. So my tools for vocal speech get all jumbled up and do not function smoothly. The feeling of a minor sore throat is probably caused by the vocal cords working too hard and pressing to much. So neuron-to-muscle malfunction is most probably what causes the actual stuttering.

But what causes the roller coaster of improvements and declines? From my experiences, I say that is very psychological. I have learned a lot from various sources such as Sigmund Freud and more recently, Dr. Daniel Amen. You, the condition of your brain, and your state of mind has a huge effect on your life, your health, your relationships, your behavior, your performance, et cetera. An acquaintance of mine who was studying speech pathology told me about a friend who said he used to stutter. In recent times, that friend rarely stuttered, but after being reminded of how much he used to stutter, his dysfluency came back and was more noticeable. I too have had similar experiences in the past. After a summer of no school, my stuttering improved but after my first day of school therapy, it all came back. I guess it was because I was reminded of my problem and noticed it more from then on.

I have also heard the many cases where people come out of intensive therapy with fluent speech but over time, their stuttering comes back. Well school therapists aren't really specifically specialized in stuttering, but I have also been to separate professional therapists. Doing this has given me many lasting benefits. However, the immediate benefits of fluency can wear out if one does not practice all the time and keep in mind the techniques and advice given. And that presents a problem. Our lives are complicated enough as it is and many are are in a hurry or become too concerned about other things to pay attention and remember those techniques until the stuttering gets really bad. Then another problem arises; if one worries too much about their stuttering then they can end up having more trouble. Many times I am saying something and someone notices that I am very fluent. I realize that they are right even though I have not been thinking about my stuttering at all. When I am too concerned, I get stuck which gets me even more concerned and leads to panic. I think things like stress, and anxiety screws up the already troubled neuron process even more.

So we are presented with a paradox here. We are to remember our techniques and yet not worry about it too much. I think what worsens the neuron process is similar to what worsens other parts of the brain function as well such as performance and self esteem. One needs to avoid drugs, get good sleep, good healthy food, exercise, drink water, manage stress, and all those things that help your brain and enhance your life. I cannot be certain that these will help but just try it out and see what happens! To gain confidence and self esteem I really think staying healthy, getting more involved, learning new things and doing what one does best and seeing the positives of oneself is the best one can do about this.

Lets get more specific about stuttering. I say it really helps if you can get into the habit of saying things and relaxing or really having a feel for what you are saying and not giving a damn about others. This comes with someone who is confident yet relaxed, has enthusiasm for what he or she is saying, and has a good enough opinion of himself/herself. I know that I have many faults, but I also know that I have some good qualities and therefore I have a pretty high opinion on my opinions :). But this is very difficult for many people and once you become concerned about stuttering, it is hard to let it go. The more you try not to be worried, to more worried you become. When it comes to that, then you have to remember the things your therapist taught you. The best thing is to prepare well prior to the speech, presentation, or situation, so you are used to saying what you will be saying and know how to use the techniques. Winston Churchill had to do extra practice before giving his famous speeches so that he got it right when it counted.

Stuttering and may be even its causes are different for different people so see what works out for you. Try Sharing your opinions on what you think is the cause of your stuttering and what helps you the most.

IPhone and IPod Touch for Speech Therapy

2009-02-28T00:04:00.001-08:00

With all this technology entering into our lives, in entertainment and communication, why not take more advantage of this?

Many of us have had speech therapy at some point of our lives, and we are used to sitting in a cool relaxing room alone with a nice Speech Pathologist talking slowly to us and listening patiently to what we have to say. Such a nice and ideal situation is extremely rare in real life, so it is no wonder why almost all of us stutter far less in these sessions than in real life. I think this gives our therapists the wrong perception of our problem. Two of my past therapists used to make me meet new people, talk on the phone, take me out to the community to order drinks, or ask questions, or interview strangers to help with this. But it seems like those at HCRI have made something even better.

Hollins Communications Research Institute(HCRI) at Virginia, a leading Institute on the treatment of stuttering has developed a program that will allow the owner of an Apple IPhone or IPod Touch to use their wonderful little device with and additional small external microphone as a portable tool to greatly enhance speech therapy. Here is how it works:

This device, which you could take almost anywhere you go, records and evaluates your speech during outside situations, such as in a shopping mall, restaurant or business setting, fluency measurements for each utterance are displayed on the iPhone screen. This information is immediately transferred to their Therapy programs where speech practice can be made more efficient and results can be obtained faster. Information like this allows the institute's therapists to provide more detailed and precise training to clients, as they learn to apply new speech capabilities in everyday situations. This will also help people replace their flawed muscle contractions and learn how to reconstruct muscle actions that drive movements of the tongue, lips, jaw, vocal folds, and breathing mechanisms.

"Our clients now have a dynamic, easy-to-use tool that can be used in virtually any setting to evaluate how well they are using newly learned fluency skills," Dr. Webster said. "In addition, the device provides training feedback and performance data that were previously available only with our clinic-based computers."

According to HCRI and some clients, the tests have been highly successful so far. Of course, their website is filled with examples of success stories, but I have heard from some people that it is not worth it. The success can wear away, the data is not always accurate, you have to hold up the IPhone to record, which is very artificial, and background noise can interfere with proper recording. More on this

So there you have it. If you have the money you can decide for yourself if it is worth it and try it out. It doesn't seem like a bad idea at all but I remain doubtful of it's real use and lasting results. By the way, it is also a good show of partership between Apple and HCRI and for them to advertise and promote their companies. I feel like I have seen this before so I remain careful.

New Children's Book on Stuttering

2009-01-31T09:58:00.000-08:00

I have already told you about Jeremy and the Hippo, a wonderful little story about a child's struggle with his stuttering which is represented by a hippo, well there is a new book on the subject out there for our little youngsters. Stuttering Stan Takes a Stand is the title and it was created quite a stir. It was referred to me by Lyla Hoffman, who works for the National Stuttering Foundation, and now I feel I should tell others about it also, so you don't miss out on this gem. This picture book was written by Artie Knapp, someone who has already written many beautiful stories for children like the Shell Shocked Turtle, a story of courage, and the friendship tale of Bipper and Bick. The illustrations in these books are colorful and a pleasure to look at. I'm sure your child would be delighted.

Stuttering Stan Takes a Stand is about a squirrel who likes to do most of the things others squirrels like to do but he has a problem with his ability to talk. This leads to some unpleasant things like bullying and teasing. Stan has to learn how to deal with all this until he meets a valuable friend.
For all the millions of kinds out there in the world who stutter, I'm sure they'll all be able to relate to the character of Stan and hopefully learn a thing or two from his story. This age, kids need something like this more than ever. Parents should also read it with their children and may be understand their child better. The reviews for this book have been very favorable so far. If there is a Stuttering Workshop or an event, or group meeting for Stuttering people within proximity of where you live, then more than likely, they will have this book for people to check out and purchase.
This book was published by the Division of Speech Pathology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the largest pediatric speech pathology program in the United States.

Links:
The book
Interview with the author

Speech Impediment Not Stopping Coach!

2008-12-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

Jeff Walz is a stutterer. He is the coach of the University of Louisville's women's basketball team. This is a very demanding job, which puts much responsibility and stress on a man like him. He has to satisfy the needs of a whole team, the players, the fans, the media representatives, the collage, and his own higher authorities. His responsibility has just gone up recently because Number 4-seeded Louisville, is reaching the first Sweet 16 in program history; they face No. 1 North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament South Region semifinals. This creates a tense and a potentially uncomfortable situation, one filled with microphones and flood lights. In all this, he has a stuttering problem which can sometimes serious.

"I know the words I want," said Walz (sound familiar?). "Sometimes, it just takes me a little longer to get them out."

Louisville junior forward Angel McCoughtry said, "It's never a problem in games or anywhere, really. He can sure get those choice words out there - with force." With force is just how so many of us try to do it. Personally, I say it takes longer most of the time and looks weirder than prolonging it or even doing some fake bounces. McCoughtry also said, "Me? Growing up, I always thought my feet were too big. I was so self-conscious, almost embarrassed. But nobody else noticed that but me. When you get to know Coach Walz, you don't hear the stuttering. You see the person. You see how much he cares." I think that is great advice and it speaks for many of the things we get so self-conscious about.

This man, coach Waltz seems to have good control of his speech and really seems to knows what he is doing. Others think so too. McCoughtry expressed her opinions, "I'm sure it must be hard for him in public situations, but we love how he tries and how much he cares. I was in that room when he came for his interview, and I didn't know he stuttered. My first instinct - and this is terrible - was to kind of laugh. But then he just disarms you. He's real."

"You know what I think about Jeff Walz?" Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich said. "I think he's a tremendous communicator. Once you look below the surface, you see the man, you see the coach."

Stuttering is indeed a mystifying condition. Walz, with deep Kentucky roots as a high-school and college player, wishes he knew the cause. He is currently working with Louisville's speech pathology department, and he has had improvement.

Most people who stutter don't have their words dissected for public consumption which can be dangerous for him, but he seems to get the hang of it. He really has that drive and determination to make something good out of himself, and his team. Walz is a disciplinarian, a taskmaster, a no-nonsense leader who also likes to have fun. Walz has received letters from parents of stuttering children. They call him an inspiration. He doesn't cringe and hide from the world. He tries. And he usually ends up laughing at himself. So kudos to Coach Walz!

Teen Explains Stuttering In Order to Educate

2008-11-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

It is good to see that someone has guts and initiative. Especially when he is a teenage boy who stutters. Eric McSherry, a 14 year old student from Braintree High School has decided since it was National Stuttering Awareness day, he must let others know about what stuttering is and what it is like. How it feels to struggle valiantly for the next word, and what it is like to hope that his listeners will be patient. I'm sure every stutterer wishes that others understand them better.

Many people don't know about stuttering and this boy has decided to do something about it. Eric asked his teacher, Amanda Patrick if he could talk to each class in the South Shore Educational Collaborative program housed at Braintree High School about the challenge of stuttering. He got his approval.

Eric spoke about how he has stuttered pretty much all his life. He sometimes has these periods of fluency which I'm sure every stutterer has. He answered a confident 'yes' when asked if he gets frustrated when he couldn’t get his words out. This of course, is expected from someone who is intelligent and has a lot to say! “I’m just as smart as you are,” he tells his classmates. He even went over what the listener should do when someone gets stuck, “Don’t finish my sentence,” he said. “Be patient" Don’t say ‘slow down or ‘relax.’ It doesn’t help. " He discusses the common phone problem with some humor, “I have more trouble controlling my speech on the phone. If you pick up the phone and hear nothing, be sure it is not a person who stutters trying to speak before you hang up.” Eric seems to have done his research too. He mentions the fact that 3 million people in the US stutters and even names some famous people. All and all he wants to make sure people understand what stuttering is so that they will be more accepting and not believe in the common myths. He seems determined to become fluent.

I can relate to Eric because we both love to talk and talk!
This young man has done a great service to his fellow stutterers, the world need more people like him.

Check out the main article

Podcasts on stuttering: Stutter Talk

2008-08-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hello stutterers out there!
Want something interesting and useful to listen to?

I've found the perfect thing for those who stutter, their parents, and those who are interested in finding out more on the subject. Stutter Talk is a online radio podcast that airs live every week. It is hosted by 3 very intelligent and versatile people, Greg Snyder, Ph.D., Peter Reitzes, CCC-SLP and Eric Jackson. The special guests are from a wide variaty of interesting people with a great deal of noteworthy and entertaining information to share and compelling topics to discuss. Listeners can participate through email or phone. If you are unable to watch it live, you can listen to their large collection of podcasts or download them from iTunes. Discussion ranges from parenting, childhood, shame, recovery, research, employment, tips and tecniques, and just about everything you can imagine on the subject of stuttering all the while being interesting and engaging to it's audience. I highly recommend it. Check it out, you wont regret it!

http://www.stuttertalk.com/

Stuttering in Relation to Birds

2008-08-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

I just saw another wonderful episode of NOVA scienceNOW. If you don't know what that is I strongly suggest you check it out. It is a wonderful program where you can learn interesting bits of science every week. It airs every Wednesday night on KCET.

This last Wednesday's episode was especially interesting because it happened to get into the subject of stuttering and what may be the cause of it. The episode segment was originally about birds and the peculiar ways they sing and the noises they make. They discussed several quite intriguing aspects of bird songs and how they do it and why they do it.

You see, human speech starts in the brain(the same with birds) and then takes no less than 100 muscles to actually say something. There is a part of the brain that makes one understand the words(Broca's area), which I'm certain most stutterers are very advanced in (wink wink) , then there is the part of the brain that helps produce the word (auditory cortex). These two parts of the brain must communicate via some complex neuro-circuitry in order for one to produce normal speech.

With this information, Dr. Santosh Helekar, an associate research professor of neuroscience at the Methodist Neurological Institute wants to decipher a very important speech mystery, stuttering. It may seem crazy at first, but humans aren't the only ones who possess this very troublesome disorder. Birds seem to have it as well, and Dr. Santosh happens to have a couple Zebra Finches that have this impediment. They have trouble producing the regular patterns of sounds that are normally attributed to such birds; They keep rapidly repeating single sounds much like the way many stutters repeat syllables like t-t-t-t-talk.

In order to study this, Santosh along with his colleague Henny Vose does a brain scan on his birds using an improvised technique to perform an FMRI scan on little birds. When the birds start chirping, the scanner picks up increased blood flow in the part of the brain used to process sound. When the brain of a normal bird is compared with that of a stuttering bird, it is seen that there is less activity in that part of the brain in a stuttering bird. The same pattern was then found in human brains! All this was possible because humans and our little flying friends have similar DNA when it comes to speech (May be that explains how parrots can repeat words and phrases) But rest assured, If you are a stutterer, this does not mean that you are retarded. It just means that when it come to saying words, the nerve communications in your brain have a little trouble. This has nothing to do with intelligence or the ability to think the words.

Does Obama stutter?

2008-07-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

With all the fuss about elections here in the states and the fierce battle between candidates, recently, it has come to my attention from some Barack enthusiasts (and anti-Obamas as well) who listen very well that one of the nation's most accomplished speakers may have a slight stuttering problem. So I tuned in my ear and looked for the signs in Obama's talk. Indeed, I have found some undeniable occurrences of stammering in the man's speech.

One very notable moment was when CNN’s Wolf Blitzer started to read him the Axelrod quote. Blitzer asked, “Your chief political strategist, David Axelrod, causing some commotion out there today with his comments about Hillary Clinton, and blaming her—at least some are interpreting it this way—blaming her in part for a series of events that resulted in Benazir Bhutto's assassination today. Let me read to you what he said." Obama replied—and I think I got the quote—“No, I, I, I, I, I have to, I heard, I heard, I don’t need it, I don't need to hear what you read because I was, I overheard it when he said it, and this is one of those situations where Washington is putting a spin on it. It makes no sense whatsoever.”

I thought that was odd; It wasn't the only instance I've seen him stumble during his speaking. The man has been doing it quite a lot, enough to get others to really notice it. Of course, when he is delivering a nice good speech by himself, he is fluent and his speech is powerful. But when he is having a conversation, or having a debate with Hillary Clinton, or John Edwards, he usually shows a lot of repetition, hesitation, and a lot of hand gestures(2nd hand behaviors).

Someone suspect it is stuttering. However, I doubt that Barack Obama may actually have some fluency problem. Indeed although he does have a lot of dis fluency in his speech, they are not part-syllable repetition, sound prolongation, and silent fixation, he does not show any real struggle in getting his words out. But definitely he is not as fluent as Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. I think it is more of just the way he is, a common occurrence in many "normal" people. I presume it's the spontaneous, on-the-spot type of talking that gets to him. That may be why he speaks better when he has a prepared speech ready.

If I can find anything in his autobiography about speech impediments, I'll change my mind and may be the Stuttering Foundation of America can add a new role model to its list.

Notification For New Orleans Residents

2008-07-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

July 24-26; remember those dates.

There is going to be a stuttering conference in New Orleans at the Embassy Suite Hotel Convention Center at 315 Julia Street. The spokesman is Michael Trichon. I think it will be a very beneficial experience for the whole family including students, researchers, or just those who are interested in the subject. These Conferences are usually pretty big housing hundreds of people every year and the places are very nice. They are held by The National Association of Young People Who Stutter. It would be in your best interest to try to attend at least one of these wonderful conferences. More Info

Jason Mernick: One Productive Stutterer

2008-06-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

I always like to see people with speech impediments overcome their problem and become successful in life. For those who do not know him, I would like to introduce a person I've met recently by the name Jason Mernick, a successful artist. Instead of using paint on canvas, this man wields a torch to produce eccentric pieces of fine metal art. From wall hangings, and small designs to large outdoor sculptures, from flat creations to pop outs, Jason transforms plain sheets of metal into intriguing patterns and forms--while risking injury. His art resembles, things in nature, geometric shapes, and fluid forms. Jason himself states, “My art is like improvisational jazz in that you can’t really predict the next note.” His art is also interactive in the sense that you can bend it in numerous ways. You can find his works on just about every Bed Bath & Beyond store and more.

When I spoke to Jason, he had a pretty bad stutter at times. However, the stutter that he had didn't seem to bother him nor the people he was speaking to. He spoke in such a way that it made us all just brush his stuttering aside and give more importance to the actual content of his conversation. This is a hard working honest man who had gone through some hard times especially after losing both his parents at a young age. Admirably, he has learned to move on with his life despite his stutter and now has almost everything he wants. Jason Mernick is a supporter of the the National Stuttering Foundation and The California Speech Language Association,--just 2 of the many organizations he contributes to.

Jason Mernick has become a superb contemporary role model for all stutterers in showing us that one must not let his or her defects get in the way of success. Life isn't fair, and never will be, so we must all be ready to adapt to any situation that fate presents to us.

Learn more about Jason and his art at jasonmernick.com

Advice Video for Adults

2008-06-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Although stuttering can affect kids more emotionally and psychology, it can affect adults in other ways that are just as bad if not worse. Adults need to do many things in order to function in society. They need to do jobs, interviews, make phone calls, attend meetings, the list goes on. Under all this, I imagine stuttering can be quite a nuisance or worse. Therefore, it would be nice to get some help and see how others are dealing with it as well. That is why I have posted this video:

Third Place!

2008-06-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

If you've read my previous posts, you know that I'm in the Speech and Debate team and a member of the National Forensic League (NFL).

I attended a recent debate tournament with at least 15 different high schools in which I performed Parliamentary Debate with a partner. It was a whole day of talking and convincing, twisting definitions, bringing out ideas, arguing your brains out, and of course, SPEAKING!
Despite me being a stutterer, a problem which I managed to control quite well that day, the event turned out to be a great success. Victory after victory brought me and my lovely partner 3rd place.
And I've got a nice trophy to prove it!

I never wanted to use my stuttering as an excuse for not being successful in life. Sure, it is a problem, and I will admit that, but one must learn how to control it rather that let it control you. That is what therapy is good for. It is to teach you how to control your speech impediment and live life better. I will say this so no one will be disappointed. It is extremely rare that therapy actually cures stuttering, so don't expect that. There is a good chance that it will reduce your stuttering, but as I mentioned in some older posts, there is no known cure for stuttering, so the best you can do is to take control of your own life instead of allowing your problems consume you. Make the best use of your talents and suck the marrow out of the bones of life!

Tips for Teachers

2008-04-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have heard many stuttering kids complain about troubles they have at school. Who can blame them? Stuttering can really cause some problems in an environment outside the house, especially to inexperienced innocent youngsters. If you are a teacher, then you can help make it easier for them by following these guidelines(I know how it feels to seem helpless when someone is having trouble in front of you!):

Don’t tell the child “slow down” or “ just relax.” It really doesn't work as good as many people think.
Please make sure they don't feel like they need to hurry. Now That can really cause a problem.
Don’t complete words for the child or talk for him or her. It may seem convenient but no one likes words shoved down their throat.
Help ALL members of the class learn to take turns talking and listening. All children — and especially those who stutter — find it much easier to talk when there are few interruptions and they have the listener’s attention. This is coming from many personal experiences.
Since stuttering doesn't physically hurt anything else, nor does it hinder someones intellectual capability, expect the same quality and quantity of work from the student who stutters as the one who doesn’t.
Speak with the student in an unhurried way, pausing frequently. I know it said this before, but it must be emphasized again. The speaker should be made to feel comfortable.
Everyone wants their voice to be heard so convey that you are listening to the content of the message, not how it is said.
Have a one-on-one conversation with the student who stutters about needed accommodations in the classroom. Respect the student’s needs, but do not be enabling.
Just like everybody, don’t make stuttering something to be ashamed of. Talk about stuttering just like any other matter. Too many people seem to be afraid of mentioning it. Relax, we know that we stutter, and we know that you know we stutter and it is okay to talk about it.

Remembering the Scatman

2008-03-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

Today, March 13, is the birthday of John Paul Larkin or better known to many people as Scatman John. He was a famous American Jazz singer known for his unique fusion of scat singing and Euro Dance. He was also known for his severe stuttering problem. He was a recipient of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Annie Glenn Award for outstanding service to the stuttering community and earned his name into the National Stuttering Association Hall of Fame. He died of lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 57

Today we remember the life of this wonderful man, probably the best scat singer that ever lived. He never stuttered when he sang. He learned how to turn his biggest adversary to his biggest asset. His biggest single, "Scatman(Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)", is a song intended to inspire children who stuttered to overcome adversity. Many of his songs seem to be related to the subject such as "Take your time," "Let it Go," "Su Su Su Super."

All stutterers have their good times where they don't stutter at all and their bad time when they stutter severely. Scatman is no exception. There was an interesting situation while conducting promotional interviews for the album Scatman's World, he became so fluent that one journalist remarked that he hadn't heard Larkin stutter once and asked if he was merely using the stuttering community "as a gimmick to further [his] career". He was shocked to find himself for the first time ashamed of his fluency rather than his stutter.

In the remaining days of his career and life, Larkin suffered from lung cancer. Yet he still continued making music. In a 1996 interview, he commented "I hope that the kids, while they sing along to my songs or dance to it, feel that life is not that bad at all. Even for just a minute."

Rest In Peace Scatman.

Ancient Myths

2008-03-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, I showed some very common misconceptions that occur today,
so lets now have some fun and see what people of long ago thought about this speech impediment:

African American Myths:
The mother eating improper foods when breast feeding the infant.
Allowing an infant to look in the mirror.
Tickling the child too much.
Cutting the child's hair before he/she says his/her first words.
The mother seeing a snake during pregnancy
The mother dropping a baby.
The child being scared as a baby.
The child being bitten by a dog
The work of the devil.

South African:
Baby left out in the rain
Failure to inform ancestors of imminent childbirth
emotional trauma
Tickling the baby too much
Karma (Indian)
Child has a short tongue

Myths about stuttering

2008-03-09T19:59:00.001-07:00

I'm sure we have all heard these more than once in our lives. Here is a list of the most common misconceptions:

Myth: People who stutter are stupid.
Reality: There is absolutely no connection between stuttering and intelligence. Some people who stutter are extremely bright, others are average, and others are slower than average. People who believe that stuttering is a sign of stupidity are simply wrong.

Myth: Stuttering is caused by bad parenting or stress.
Reality: No one really knows what causes stuttering, although a genetic predisposition seems to be involved. Emotional stress often triggers stuttering in children who have a tendency to stutter, but many deal with extreme stress without ever stuttering, while others stutter in response to slight or routine stress. Neglectful or hurtful parenting is one source of extreme stress for a child, of course, as are well-meaning parents who put too much pressure on their children to excel or engage in too many activities. But many loving, sensible parents have children who stutter, so we certainly can't blame all stuttering on bad parenting.

Myth: It helps to tell a child to "slow down," "take a big breath before you start talking," or "think about what you want to say first."
Reality: This advice usually only makes a child more self-conscious, making the problem worse. More helpful responses include listening patiently, modeling slow and clear speech yourself, and making out what your child is saying as best you can.

Myth: Children will outgrow stuttering.
Reality: While roughly four out of five do outgrow stuttering, it doesn't always get better on its own. If the stuttering has been going on for more than six months or there are other signs that it is very stressful for your child, it's best to get help sooner rather than later.

Myth: Children can control their stuttering if they only would try.
Reality: The more children try to control all the muscles involved in speaking, the more laborious and difficult speaking becomes. This only makes stuttering worse.

Myth: It's best to ignore stuttering completely.
Reality: While it doesn't help to call a child's attention to his stuttering, it also doesn't make sense to pretend that it doesn't exist. Children know when they have a problem, and pretending it's not there just sends the message that you find the stuttering too uncomfortable to deal with. A helpful response is matter-of-fact and supportive, something along the lines of: "When you keep working hard to talk, I can see how much courage you have!"

Myth: Listening to a parent or sibling stutter can cause a young child to stutter.
Reality: This is absolutely not true. Stuttering isn't a matter of being exposed to stuttering; genetic and other factors are involved.

Interesting ways to deal with stuttering in the past

2008-02-02T22:06:00.000-08:00

I thought this might be interesting. There have been many remedies and attempts in the past to help with stuttering. Almost all have failed or not worked well enough. So here are just some of them. Couple of these remedies are understandable for people who do not have much knowledge, while others are downright ridiculous, while still others may be shocking or cruel. Those cruel methods were probably a way to punish stutterers rather than to actually help them. They may have been the product of misinformation, religion and superstition.

These famous people have come up with some techniques of their own:

Demosthenes the great Greek orator put marbles in his mouth and spoke, sometimes he yelled with them at the beach.

Marylin Monroe the incredibly famous actress, model, and Hollywood icon, used her breathy voice. (this really helped her)

Charles Canon Kingsley, a nineteenth-century orator, writer and chaplain to Queen Victoria recommended that a stutterer should eat a 'manly' diet of beef and beer!

Other treatments of the past include:

Prayer/priest

Various superstitious

Various herbal remedies

Adult stammerers were advised to eat a certain green grasshopper called "kimem"

Having Correct posture (this actually helps me!)

moving one's feet when talking

Apply ointment on throat

Holding nutmeg under tongue.

Person who stutters must eat a fruit that has been pecked by a bird

Strengthening the tongue as a muscle

Now here are the truly bizarre(and horrific) ones:

Hitting the child in the mouth with a dish towel

Heating a metal tool or a knife, letting it cool slightly and then briefly applying it several times to the lips of a child who stutters.

Consistently drinking water from a snail shell for the rest of one's life

Hitting a stutterer in the face when the weather is cloudy

Cutting the membrane (lingua frenum) beneath the tongue

To cure juvenile stuttering, fresh and bloody reindeer lungs used to be flung at the stammering child!

The Great Debators

2007-12-22T18:26:00.000-08:00

If Rocket Science inspired any of you people out there with speech impediments to join your high school speech and debate team, well here is a treat for you. This holiday try to go and watch The Great Debaters. It isn't about stuttering but it shows the importance of speech. As far as I know, this is the first really serious film about a Speech and Debate team.

The Great Debaters is produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed and starred by Denzel Washington. It is based on a true story about the efforts and struggles of the African American debate coach Melvin B. Tolson and his students from the Historically black Wiley Collage in Texas. The film takes place during the 1930s, a time of the infamous Jim Crow laws and discrimination against blacks. Eventually, the team is able to compete with Harvard University and becomes the first Negro collage to be able to debate with a white collage.

I was extremely glad when I first saw the trailer on TV. I told my Debate team and they were equally happy. It is great to see that our type of work is being glorified in the most influential media, cinema. Denzel Washington's talent for powerful acting will certainly enhance this film. People should realize the importance of words and confidence. This will also be very nice for the African American communities and for people to put back their racial dislikes and better realize the potential for everyone everywhere. And no one is better at this than our own good Opera!
The movie look seems really good so far, but I have yet to see it so I am not making any strong judgments until I do. But it is good to see that after a comedy like Rocket Science, someone has taken the risk to tackle the subject of debate seriously. Currently I am the only stutterer to make it in our Speech and Debate team in many many years. I would certainly love to see more so may be this movie will help.

The film Rocket Science

2007-11-22T19:40:00.000-08:00

I was reading the movie review section of the LA Times, when I got to an article about the new film called "Rocket Science." I thought the title was interesting, so I decided to take a glance at it.Then I saw the words "Speech and Debate" and "Stutter," and suddenly I became very interested.I read the plot and thought it was absolutely PERFECT for a guy like me. Speech team, AND stuttering all in one movie! It seems to have got everything, teenage life, crushes, friendships, brothers.

This film is about a student in high school who has a severe stammering problem. Then a girl, whom he later falls in love with encourages him to join the Speech and Debate team. "Deformed people are the best. Maybe it is because they have a deep resource of anger. It serves them well." So begins our hero's journey (So I assume). Jeffery Blitz, the directer noted that "the only way I was going to do a teen movie is if I felt like I could try to be more honest about what the actual experience of being a teenager is like."

I haven't seen this film yet, I don't know if it will be good or not but I certainly want to see it. Most of the critics seem to like it, but according to my past experiences, the critics get it wrong most of the time. I didn't really like the trailer very much for it didn't seem to focus that much on the actual debating but more on the girl and the fact that it doesn't seem very serious to me and it's rated R are all big drawbacks for me. However, the film did receive the Dramatic Directing prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and those IMBD users whom I really trust seem to like it, and it does seem to really relate to a guy like me so I don't know. I'll just have to watch it and see.

So if you are anyone who stutters, is a teenager, or an adult who wants too look back at those turbulent teenage years, this film is certainly worth watching.
(I'll write a new post when I watch it)

Tips for Parents

2007-10-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

On my last post I talked about why parents should not ignore their child's stuttering. So what should they do?

For all you parents whose children happen to stutter, here are a few things you could try:\

1. Speak with your child in an unhurried way, pausing frequently.
2. Reduce the number of questions you ask your child.
3. Use your facial expressions and other body language to convey to your child that you are listening to the content of her speech and not how she's talking.
4. Set aside a few minutes at a regular time each day when you can give your undivided attention to your child.
5. Help all members of the family learn to take turns talking and listening.
6. Observe the way you interact with your child.
7. Above all, convey that you accept your child as he or she is.

Hands off to Hands on (at an early age)

2007-10-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Parents who notice their young child beginning to stutter and should seek help right away.
That is AFTER they are five. Many children have minor speech disfluencies when they are very young and they should become normal at around five years of age. I they continue to have
I read an article in the that stated that contrary to the past belief that paying attention to a child's stuttering will worsen the problem. However, research by Adud Yari, speech-language pathologist and researcher at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and Tel-Aviv University. that children may be aware of the difference between fluent speech and stuttering as early as age three and they will have a desire to fix that as early as four. As Jane Franser president of the Stuttering Foundation said,"Any time Parents are concerned about a child's fluency, they should educate themselves about the disorder and the many ways they can work to prevent stuttering from becoming a chronic problem." So experts urge parents to get more involved in their children and not follow the popular "hands-off" theory.

For parents, there is a great new book called "If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents." It describes the difference between normal disfluencies and actual stuttering and contains tips for parents on ways to help their child immediately. I think stuttering is a problem that should be treated early with parental help, just like bad handwriting. Either that or grow out of it. If neither, then one should learn to control their stuttering instead of it controlling them.

Speech And Debate

2007-08-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

Despite my speech disfluency, I have made it into our school's speech and debate team!!The Arcadia High School Speech and Debate Team came 3rd in the State of California last year. It is an honor and prestige for anyone to enter the team for there are a great many who try out but few who actually make it. But for me, it is an even greater accomplishment for I have conquered my fear of speaking to large audiences and my confidence has been raised. I am also the only stutterer to join the team.

I used to be an extremely quite kid and I never participated in ANYTHING. I used to talk to animals or just read. But during the years, I started to become more and more involved and interacted with my own species. I became interested in history and science and starting at 8th grade I loved participating in the debates we had in history class, and giving oral presentations. Even in a group project in which I did little work, I easily remembered the information and during the presentation, made it seem like I really worked on the project because everyone else was shy and just looked down reading off notes. I became inspired by god-like historical figures such as the powerful men of Rome (mainly Claudius), and Napoleon, Mussolini, Churchill, all of whom used their talent of speaking to inspire people and get them to support their cause.

When my friend(already a member) told me of the tryouts to the speech and debate team, I grabbed an application right away. Other than the application, there are teacher reviews and a you have to present a speech in front of some people and after that, those same people will give the interview. I was really nervous for I didn't think my chances were at all any good even my friends didn't think I could do it. The number of people and the availability of slots weren't very encouraging either. Well they say the tougher it is to do something, the greater the rewards are! I am really looking forward to working with the team this coming year.

My tips to others about public speaking is:
1. Don't be intimidated by others.
2. Interact with the audience.
3. Good posture and voice.
4. Think that you are someone great.
5. Confidence is key.
6. Don't make your speeches too long.
7. Be animated.