Stuttering And How It Can Affect A Persons Daily Life
For people who are fluent, it is hard to comprehend what it must
be like to have a stutter. This article describes some of the
tasks that can prove difficult and stressful for the person who
has a stutter, tasks which fluent people simply take for granted.
My name is Stephen Hill and I am somebody who has managed to
overcome a stutter which had affected my life for eighteen
years. When I was at school, I would dread the time when I would
have to read out aloud in class out of a book. I would count
down to which paragraph I would have to read and then I would
look through to see which words I was going to have to say. I
was hoping that there would not be many words beginning with
b,d,v, or g, as I found these words especially hard to say. When
speaking in a conversation I would always try to avoid these
words or would think of an alternative word to say. When reading
though, you have to read what is written. I had many unpleasant
days attempting to read and I am now very happy those days are
over.
Trying to meet girls and to get a girlfriend proved very
difficult and not because I am ugly. My negative brain would
always be talking to me stating that a particular girl that I
was interested in would not want to go out with someone who has
a stutter. If I did manage to date a girl, I would then have the
horror of meeting her family and friends. Socialising when you
have a stutter is not easy.
Other areas of life which proved difficult for me were:
Ordering food or drink at a bar
Trying to obtain employment
Speaking on the telephone
Answering peoples questions
Introducing people
Introducing myself to a group of people, for example at the
start of a course at work
As you can tell, it is quite difficult having a stutter at times.