Author Stephen Hill from www.stammering-stuttering.co.uk Stuttering and its effects
Stuttering and stammering can effect people in many different ways. Some people who stutter fear certain words beginning with certain letters and will try and avoid these words or will think of an alternative word to say. When I had a stutter or as I called it “stammer” I found words beginning with “b” especially hard to say. I also found d,g,k,p and v words difficult. In time I became an expert at word avoidance or substitution.
The affects at school though were that I was always afraid that I would be asked to read out aloud from a book. When reading you have to read what is written and this is where
stammer/stutter would be at it’s worse. Fluent people are unable to comprehend humiliation and embarrassment one feels when you stutter in front of a number of people as in above example at school. Stuttering made my school life quite traumatic.
One of most difficult tasks is when asked to make a presentation in front of people, whether at school, college or work. It is not just day that is hard, it is days leading up, where worry and fear is difficult to control. Stuttering and presentation would always be on my mind. I had a client who stated on first day that reason he was attending my speech course was because he wanted to be able to give his daughter away at her wedding. I asked him when wedding was to be held expecting it to be in a few months time. He replied that she was only fifteen! This is how stuttering is able to get a grip on your life.
Socialising and building relationships with people from opposite sex also has its hazards. Ordering food and drink can be difficult. On a personal front when trying to purchase for example a bottle of beer, I would nearly always stutter. My friends were good to me though and would usually order my drinks for me. I could not expect my colleagues from work to do same and would try and avoid evenings out with them.
