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From: Mat Lehr
Date: 10/6/03
Time: 7:45:02 PM
Remote Name: 207.43.108.39
Terry Dartnall - I can admit to being a covert stutterer of sorts for most of the last twenty years. Many times I have have been open about my fluency, only to recieve puzzled looks in response. It seems some people are suprised that I stutter, because they have never heard it themselves. Indeed, my stuttering episodes are neither as frequent nor severe as they were in my teens and early twenties, yet the internal tensions and struggles are still present to varying degrees.
When the occasonal block or repetition does occur, I no longer feel guilty or ashamed, but embarrassment is another story.I also understand feeling like an imposter. My personal path has lead me to the field of Speech Pathology, where I feel I can make a contribution, however small. As I learned more about fluency,and later worked with stuttering clients, encouraging them to challenge themselves to stop avoiding as one step toward improving their fluency, I have been forced to examine my own patterns of speaking and avoidance. To admit that I still,on occasion, avoid certain speaking situations in order to avoid stuttering (like yourself, lecturing has rarely been an issue, whereas the unexpected question might be) has been both humbling and rewarding. It has forced me to challenge myself on a regular basis, even when it means a stuttered response will be the result.
Matthew Lehr Toledo, OH, USA