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From: Sarah D'Agostino
Date: 20 Oct 2009
Time: 11:29:53 -0500
Remote Name: 216.36.87.242
Karen, YES! confidence can make all the difference in life. I believe more and more that confidence with stuttering is definitely a journey where there are a lot of contributing factors. Severity of stuttering, age, maturity, experiences, support, knowledge about stuttering- all play into it. I think it is important for a person who stutters to really look at themself with an honest and open mind... I found an SLP in college He is a professor at Michigan State University and he stutters. I was introduced to him by one of his students who was working at the student therapy clinic. He gave me a few "tips" after abserving me for a few minutes and he worded his advice in a way that I had never heard it described. I came back the next day and cried, begged and pleaded for him to be my therapist. Timing was right since I was desperate! The first day of therapy he video taped me talking. I though he would put the tape away as a "before" shot and we'd look at it later after I saw improvement. NOPE. He rewound it and we watched it together while I cried (again) and asked him to please turn it off. I had to face my stuttering head on and stop trying to hide it, run from it and pretend it wasn't there. We worked very specifically on MY speech and the "habits" (secondary characteristics) that I had developed in my 15 + years of stuttering. As soon as I began to feel comfortable speaking, we'd move into the hallway or in the elevator and he would challenge me to use a new approach in the "heat of the moment". He would immediately coach me through it and point out things I didn't realize I was still doing. He desensitized me to my own stuttering. I could watch it on video and be my own therapist. SO- I now had some tools that were very specific to me but there were still good days and horrible days. AND I still was not comfortable stuttering in front of people or talking about stuttering. I really didn't know what to say about it- if I could even get something out about it when I wanted to. I didn't know anyone besides him who stuttered... and this is where the NSA came in. Therapy plus support plus hard work and honesty equals confidence! The NSA allowed me to meet other people who felt my pain and who could relate to the bad days as well as the little things I did that were HUGE successes for me (as a person who stutters). It gave me a whole other bag of tools to draw from. It showed me people who stuttered who were happy and successful and extroverted and creative and beautiful. The NSA contstantly provides me with things to "talk about" when I am not sure how to discuss stuttering with other people. I can tlak about research or facts. I can talk about other people who I have met or heard about who stutter and I can tell them about events that happen all around the globe that relate to stuttering. This information and connection is confidence. So- that should answer your question, right? I attribute much of my success to the National Stuttering Association and helping me gain confidence