How to stop stuttering

[MikiAndoFan#1]

At first, I was embarassed to post this here, but I decided to post it, because I really want help. I've been stuttering since I was a little boy and my stutter has been getting worse since the last couple of years. Anyone who knows some techniques to stop stuttering, please post them here. I'll be very thankful.

[Ziggy]

I'm not sure how it works in Portugal but there are medical professionals who can help with that sort of thing.

Here's a Wiki Portuguese link:
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fonoaudiologia

[soxxy]

I'd think you'd need to see a speech therapist. Does your medical insurance provide for such treatment?

(I've always wondered if "hearing oneself speak" confused the stutterer in some way, but that's just an aside.)

[Aimless]

I've known a handful of people in my life who stutter and I've always found their words worth waiting for. In an odd way I find it an attractive trait. It's so distinctive and it makes me listen much more thoughtfully and patiently than I might otherwise. Not that I can't readily imagine how frustrating it must be, and hard to have others finishing your words for you and thinking they are helping. Are they? I always thought the best thing to do was to wait and allow the stutterer to complete his or her thought. I do know at least one extremely successful professional person with a stutter.

I hope you'll find a therapy that is beneficial. I've heard of support groups that help each other and I bet a lot of stuff would pop up with an internet search.

I think too though that there's a lot of room for the world to adapt and understand and simply accept those who stutter, rather than the other direction. I do hope you'll work on self acceptance at the same time as you work on the stuttering.

[mrr50]

Annie Glenn, wife of former Senator and astronaut John Glenn was a stutterer. Real bad. She managed to control it. I think she worked with speech pathologists, but am unsure. She wrote about her experiences. You should be able to find some reference.

Look at her Wikipedia entry. It has all the information for what helped her. There should be a similar program in Portugal

[snoopysnake]

I have heard that singing is good therapy for stuttering, and that there are people who stutter when they speak who can sing without stuttering.

James Earl Jones overcame stuttering so well that he built his career on his speaking voice.

Best of luck in your efforts!

[Cupid]

I get into periods of my life where I begin to stutter. What helps me a little is to relax the shoulders and exhale completely before starting to speak. Don't get excited about trying to get your two cents in because that will bring it on even more.

I also notice I stutter in front of certain people more than others. Ones whom I guess intimidate me somehow. So I know before speaking to them, to wait until my body feels relaxed and then I start to speak loudly and confidantly and that usually helps, as opposed to starting quietly and hurriedly, if that meakes any sense.

It's a pain in the ass and never completely goes away, unfortunately. What's weird, is I've never met another girl/woman who stuttered, usually males.

[MikiAndoFan#1]

I really appreciate your help. Thank you so much, guys!

[caseyedwards]

I had like 10 12 years of therapy. I was taught the breathing before you speak method (from the diaphragm-sp?), thinking before you speak, reading out loud, talking to a mirror, lot of just conversational therapy - talking in a relaxed environment. Eventually what helped me was joinng a debate team. I don't think I would have done that without the therapy but being in an evironment where talking intersected with things I was really passioniate about reduced the stuttering overall.

[Aimless]

Let me add that a local Toastmasters Public Speaking club might be helpful, and fun for other reasons as well. Very low key, supportive atmosphere in which to develop these skills.

[Anita18]

Yeah, most stutterers ARE males. Not sure why that is. Just another thing for which I'm special.

I stuttered really bad when I was a kid. It's a lot better now, but I still have periods where I have trouble getting my speaking rhythm down. That's what it feels like - being out of rhythm. I don't stutter at all when I sing, there's a theory that since there is an innate rhythm to singing, almost all stutterers are able to sing without getting stuck. My old piano teacher had a bad stutter when she was young, and it went away when she started serious vocal training.

In 4th grade I had to do 15-20 minute oral presentations and I would spend the weekend before practicing them all day, that's how I was able to get through it without stuttering at all. You get the rhythm down, then you're home free. In college I got a lot lazier with that.

My stuttering was actually so bad in high school that my school's speech therapist referred me to the McGuire program, which features a 4-day intensive course where you learn how to breathe with your diaphragm and speak in a specific rhythm. It was the first time that I found I could actually be FLUENT. It really was an amazing feeling. You have to be dedicated and pay attention to your breathing though, and it makes you sound a little strange when you're in the early stages of practicing the technique, because you take slow, full breaths every couple of words.

It's also expensive - when I went (almost 10 years ago, I think), the 4-day course was about $1000. I'm not sure if it includes hotel, since the course does take place in a hotel.

The UK site is still updated regularly. I highly recommend it if you want to take control of your stuttering. It requires work (and I have been getting lax with it, not to mention I haven't gone to any meetings in forever), but KNOWING that I was able to speak fluently, and that I wasn't just a victim of this thing, was the most awesome thing I got out of that course. On the last day, everyone in the course stands up in the middle of a busy mall and talks about their experience. My mom cried when I did mine.

I also notice that I stutter more in front of some people than others. (What's weird is that I still stutter in front of my bf. ) And I tend to mirror the speaking patterns of whoever I'm talking to. If I'm conversing with someone who speaks calmly and thoughtfully, I don't usually stutter. If I'm conversing with someone who goes a mile a minute, forget it.

If you'd like to ask me about stuttering or the McGuire program, definitely feel free to do so. I'm glad to help.

[Japanfan]

My brother-in-law is a stutterer and I know he's tried absolutely everything that out there. I don't know how much it has helped him, he still stutters and in his 50s. Though I don't mean to be discouraging in any way and I'm sure the experience is individual.

I do know that he is better with his family and people he is close to, so I would guess that stress much make it harder and conversely, relaxation work would help.

I don't find it that bothersome, you just have to be patient when he stutters and he's a smart, interesting guy, so it is not really that big of a deal.

[Angelskates]

Clients I have worked with who have had mild to very severe have all found success with a speech and language therapist/pathologist. It has taken from 3 months to 4 years, and usually depends on the age the person begins therapy. I don't know anyone, or of anyone, who has gone to an SLT/SLP for stuttering, continued for the recommended time, and not been cured.

[MOIJTO]

Ummm...Speech Therapy I guess would be something I would pursue.

[Jayar]

I stuttered as a child, but not to a high level. I fought it... always put myself in situations where I was forced to speak (competitive speaking, acting, etc.). I was horrible at first, but then I started to understand the finesse of speaking. I am so not a top notch speaker, but I can hold my own. I just need to learn to not say everything that I think, which I think is from where my stuttering stems.

[jkl]

I am a Speech Pathologist and work with children who stutter. I would like to see you contact the National Stuttering Association. It is a support group for adults, teens and children who stutter. The website is www.westutter.org
There is a national convention in Cleveland, Ohio this July. I know that is a long way from Portugal but go online for lots of information and to get on the email list.
Aimless, your post was so heartwarming. It truly made my day!