Ever want to share a thought, a story, a joke, but your voice or words trip and stumble over itself? This is the experience of people who stutter. This speech disorder goes beyond the usual pauses of “uhm” as it causes continuous hiccups in human communication. For those who suffer from it, it has not been as easy journey often facing ridicule.
‘I stayed silent so nobody would laugh at me’
Stuttering since her childhood, Kamogelo Shaleen from Limpopo says she has gotten more comfortable with her condition as she has grown up.
“I am a talkative person and enjoy laughing and engaging in conversations, but due to stuttering, I decide to remain silent most of the time and that way, nobody will laugh at me, or find me weird for getting stuck while I try to speak.
“It was awful; so many people thought I was mentally challenged, especially during my schooling years.”
“It has gotten better because, as I remember, I used to hit anything that was nearby me when I struggled to get a word out. Now, when speaking, I tend to move my hands a lot, as that helps me with communicating. can speak without stuttering sometimes. When I sing, I do not stutter, and when I speak to myself, I also don’t think I stutter,” says Shaleen.
‘I rush when talking’
“I was not born with stuttering,” says Dineo Masentle from Gauteng. “It developed after the birth of my son, and I only noticed that I stuttered when he started learning how to talk and he was stuttering.”
Masentle says it has gotten worse, and when trying to communicate, she rushes through talking because she fears she will stutter and waste the other person’s time. “This, however, just makes me stutter even more, and I end up not communicating effectively.”
“I learned to stop talking, breathe, and then continue. I don’t stutter when I sing, but I haven’t found myself speaking without stuttering unless I speak briefly.”
Stuttering, characterised by words getting caught in your throat, a repetition of words, and the rhythm of speech being disrupted, is a speech disorder that affects the fluency and flow of speech.
Find the root cause
According to speech and language therapist Ntandoyenkosi Msomi from Durban, stuttering is caused by developmental issues; one is born with a stutter that gradually eliminates itself or acquired issues that happen through traumatic experiences such as a motor vehicle accident or traumatic brain injury.
He adds that it co-exists due to a medical condition at times, e.g., a car accident that results in a neurogenic stutter, which resolves as you recover.
“Stuttering affects the social component of a person, such as friendship, as well as income-generating means such as work (as you have to deal with clients) and academic progress when you have to deliver speeches.”
According to him, stuttering can be eliminated via therapy, and you can reach a success criterion of 80% or above.
“Strategies that can help people who stutter include early-onset elimination, speech spacing using spacing boards, speech (word) prolongations, and mindfulness practices.”
Ntandoyenkosi Msomi
“For those unable to afford private therapies, public hospitals, including community health care clinics (CHC), have speech therapists; a facility will have one in a catchment area; it is best to use public services.”
Speech therapy is the best way
Besides therapy, Msomi says he is unable to recommend anything else to improve or eliminate stuttering, as therapy is offered by a trained and licensed speech therapist.
“Due to the sequel of psychosocial issues co-occurring with stuttering, the attitudes and perceptions of the stuttering individual also have to be managed. Looking at them holistically.”
According to Healthline, some practical tips for reducing a stutter include:
- Slowing down: Taking a few deep breaths and speaking slowly can help. Let those around you know that you’re trying this and that their patience can help.
- Practising: Reach out to a close friend or family member to see if they can sit with you and talk. Practising your speech in a safe environment may help you feel more at ease with yourself and the way that your speech sounds.
- Practising mindfulness: Mindfulness is a form of meditation that allows you to be calm and focused on your thoughts or a specific action.
- Recording yourself: Recording your voice can help you better understand your progress. It could help shed light on words or phrases that trigger you into stuttering. This can help you hear things you wouldn’t notice otherwise.
- Look into new treatments.
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