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From: Reuben Schuff
Date: 05 Oct 2009
Time: 22:43:42 -0500
Remote Name: 173.75.244.83
Katy Great Question! For many years, fluency was a golden coin that was housed behind a wall that I was determined to break through. Its rather simple logic, I stutter, that’s means I’m not fluent, make me fluent and I’m fixed…cured, right? If I keep stuttering I’m not fixed. Well, let’s think about that for a minute. What is stuttering preventing me from doing, why do I hate it so much? Seriously let’s make a list: 1) Introducing myself is struggled and embarrassing 2) I’m afraid to ask questions in class because people may make fun of me 3) I’m afraid to take classes, or do activities that involve speaking 4) I avoid leadership opportunities because I don’t think people will listen to me Ready for some tougher ones? 5) I don’t have any friends because I avoid talking to people unless I have to 6) I can’t image why anyone would want to hire me because I struggle so much 7) I am exhausted everyday because I spend so much energy all day long trying not to stutter and not letting people find out that I stutter. 8) I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have a relationship because I don’t talk unless I absolutely have to. So, if we could be “cured” of stuttering, does that fix the list? What if we just fix the list? Isn’t that what we REALLY want? 90% of the impact of stuttering isn’t what you see or hear! It took two amazing SLP’s to teach me this, (you know who you are!) and army of people from speech groups and the NSA who showed me with their lives what it’s possible to do.