I've had a speech impediment my enitre life. Ask me anything.

[DoubleDeuced]

Google:
Redefining Stuttering by John C. Harrison. PDF version you can read on smartphone/tablet.
Guy cured himself through sheer force of will...has some g-g-great (lol couldn't help it) insight into why blocks occur and the pathology of stammering.
Worth the read, trust me.

Thanks man, I’ll look it up.

r uh ra rah rolllllllll b bb bbbbreeaaddd!!!!

Nope, not a roll bread.

Anyone else here not stutter at all when angry? The incidents written about dri-thrus is too real. I've been through several ones where I ended up getting pissed off and cussing out the guy taking the order for being a jackass.

This. When I’m angry I have zero problems at all. Frustration on the other hand is a deal breaker on talking effectively
I was once at this house party of a friend of a friend when I was about 23. The owner of the house asked me to ask someone that just pulled up to move their car out of the driveway and park across the street. I thought oh fuk here we go. I walk up to him and his 2 buddies and do my best to ask them to move. I think I stuttered through 3 or 4 words and he yells out “Can we get someone over here that can actually talk?”

I literally lost my **** and saw red. I looked him dead in the eye and said in perfectly fluency “I have a fuking speech impediment and if you have a problem with that I have no problem in kicking your ass and embarrassing you in front of your 2 boyfriends here. Now move your fuking car!” He went white, backed up, and starting apologizing and didn’t stop apologizing all night. I’m 5’5” and he was about 6” but I was ready to go toe to toe.

[DoubleDeuced]

may have been asked but do chicks think its cute? or do they just think its weird

Some girls think it’s adorable. A girl once told me that she was flattered that I was trying this hard just to talk to her. We ended up dating for a while. Not going to lie though some girls, and some people in general , think you’re a weirdo but this is because they just don’t understand or expect to meet someone with a stutter/stammer.
When I was in my early to mid-twenties I remember girls giving me their phone numbers and just threw them away because I knew (or rather convinced myself) that I could never get through the first phone call. Depressing stuff man, not going to lie.
I think I was about 23 and was on my motorcycle on the freeway. Traffic came to a dead stop and I wasn’t really paying attention. I almost rear-ended this car full of girls but quickly split the cars by a matter of inches. I pulled over to the shoulder when I could to collect myself. The car full girls pulled behind me. The driver was super cute and in her early twenties. Seeing what just happened she walks up and asked if I was ok. With the adrenaline pumping I guess I was talking just fine. She gave me her phone number and told me to call her.
I called her several days later. Her brother answered the phone. I asked if she was there stuttering the whole way. He told me to call back tomorrow. When I did he answered again and I could hear her in the background. He said that she didn’t live here anymore and to not call. The sheer frustration was beyond words. Those feels…

[DoubleDeuced]

Do you stutter in your head when thinking (srs)?

Nope

I've always wanted to bang a deaf girl.
Hope you've found ways to work around larger barriers and feel comfortable with it. Has it ever improved, or are there certain exercises that help you project words easier?

I’ve always wanted to bang a deaf girl to. Weird.
Thanks man. It has greatly improved. Breathing exercising have helped. Also, changing the way you see words has probably helped the most. Instead of seeing words as things or objects that you are physically trying to force out you have to see them as just sounds made by moving air. It’s challenging because you’ve spent your whole life trying to force out words.

Is it innate? Can it go away? Do you stutter continuously?
A friend of mine stutters a lot 1 day, the next he doesn't... I'm used to him, but always lol when he tries to sing, it's like a remix.

I don’t stutter continuously. I couldn’t imagine dealing with never getting any relieve what so ever. I don’t or rarely stutter around my family. I rarely stutter around a girlfriend. And I never stutter when I’m alone, singing, or talking to animals or children. This is true with a lot of stutters.
If life is becoming stressful than that will cause my overall stuttering to increase. Even if I’m not conscious of the stress my stuttering with react.

[DoubleDeuced]

Have you ever thrust your fists against the post and still insist you see the ghost?

Wut?

Interested to know what jobs you guys do?
I've been unemployed for 2 months now and still don't have any courage to apply for jobs
causing depression and anxiety that I've never had before which makes it 10 times worse

Self employed. I own a moving business and just started a party bus business. A lot of face time and phone time with other people . Challenging at times but I essentially through myself into the fire. I’ve been where you’re at. How can I do x y and z if I can’t say my own name? You have to dig deep and not let it beat you. Not putting yourself out there isn’t an option. We’re all going to make it.

Sort of know your feel have had a slight lisp mY entire life. I'm actually a really friendly guy but never know if people are laughing with me or at me cause of my lisp. Usually depressed later cause i realize later that I must've sounded like a ****in *******.
Brb speaking really fast and slurring my words to the point wherenoone except brothers can understand me.
Brb want to sing along to a song but to realize its got too many 's' in it.
Brb 5'11 215 lbs trying to intimidate someone with a ****in lisp.
Brb chicks think I'm hbb only til I open my mouth.

Amen brother. But I’ve figured out that it sounds 10x worse in your own head. Srs. You have to own it. At least your 5’11” 215. I’m 5’5” 182. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.

Have you heard of the monster study? A researcher basically told kids in an orphanage that they had a speech impediment and I think almost all of them developed one. Phucked up. Speech impediments are often psychological but its so deeply ingrained in the subconscious you'd can't be arsed to get rid of it on your own.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Study

I have. That is really fukked up. I’m convinced that deep grained physiological trauma and issues are the root of the problem.

Does it affect your typing?

No.

[DoubleDeuced]

OP, have you looked into valsalva stuttering therapy? New approach on stuttering that's extremely promising, and all-encompassing in the way it tackles stuttering.



Since this is an 'ask me' thread, quickly answer the questions in this link to see if you'd be a good candidate for it:
http://www.valsalva.org/diagnosis.htm

I actually have his book and this sounds like me perfectly especially since I have more or a stammer/block than a classic stutter. Will rep on recharge!

[rude2683]

Taking any anti anxiety medication? My former professor (Phd, CCC-SLP) is a severe stutter, was amazing to hear his life experiences due to his stutter, such a great mind and respectable man.

And to the other poster, yes it is beyond annoying hearing people say they were a stutter as a kid, there is a huge difference between minor articulation disorders and a true stuttering impediment.

[Aftermath145]

In my almost 28 years on this planet I've never met another stutterer near my age. The only other stutterer I've known is my uncle, who's in his late 50s. It would be nice to meet others in person.

[Aftermath145]

Taking any anti anxiety medication? My former professor (Phd, CCC-SLP) is a severe stutter, was amazing to hear his life experiences due to his stutter, such a great mind and respectable man.

And to the other poster, yes it is beyond annoying hearing people say they were a stutter as a kid, there is a huge difference between minor articulation disorders and a true stuttering impediment.

I went through years and years of speech therapy. I had terrible anxiety and depression as a teenager. I went through several meds but I can honestly say none of them made my speech any better. IMHO anti-depressants actually make a lot of people's depression worse. They made me worse. I went cold turkey back in 2008 and manage my depression/anxiety now. The best anti-depressant for me was just to finely not give a **** what anyone thinks of my stutter. I still stutter but could really not care anymore what anyone thinks about it.

[DoubleDeuced]

I've been on and off anti anxiety meds (more of. than on). I would improve for about a month or so as I felt the affects of the meds. After awhile I would the initial improvements would fade. I hated the way I felt on them. Flighty yet emotionally flat at the same time. No thanks.

They're are lots of support groups out there. I'm sure you would find people that are similar age. There's some kind of national conference that I want to go to eventually. Looking at some of the videos and pics there's no serious hbbs with stutters.

[rude2683]

In my almost 28 years on this planet I've never met another stutterer near my age. The only other stutterer I've known is my uncle, who's in his late 50s. It would be nice to meet others in person.

Crazy, Ive met many stutters (mostly male, testosterone may have a minor connection with this fluency disorder). Their are support groups and gatherings for stutters, call or email your local universities that offer a speech disorder program, they will be able to give you a lot of useful information regarding support groups.

[codyistheman]

I stutter on occasion but my real problem is communicating effectively. (my words would get all jumbled up etc) I went through high school with a B avg (never tried), and when I hit my freshman year of college i started stuttering/ losing my ability to carry on conversations with people I didnt know and sometimes with people that were close to me. I had to drop out last year b/c it was really affecting my self-esteem etc.

Since then I've been put on Prozac, and klonopin and it helps some-what but I am no where near the communication capabilities I had in HS.

Do you think my stuttering / communication problems occur solely because of my anxiety or do you think i developed some kind of speech impediment.

srs

[rude2683]

I stutter on occasion but my real problem is communicating effectively. (my words would get all jumbled up etc) I went through high school with a B avg (never tried), and when I hit my freshman year of college i started stuttering/ losing my ability to carry on conversations with people I didnt know and sometimes with people that were close to me. I had to drop out last year b/c it was really affecting my self-esteem etc.

Since then I've been put on Prozac, and klonopin and it helps some-what but I am no where near the communication capabilities I had in HS.

Do you think my stuttering / communication problems occur solely because of my anxiety or do you think i developed some kind of speech impediment.

srs

It can be combination, one thing that may be causing you to stutter is now you are aware of it, so it increases the anxiety before and during speech, leading to disfluencies. There are a lot of techniques you can do in the privacy of your own home.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Speech-...ing_Techniques

[DoubleDeuced]

I stutter on occasion but my real problem is communicating effectively. (my words would get all jumbled up etc) I went through high school with a B avg (never tried), and when I hit my freshman year of college i started stuttering/ losing my ability to carry on conversations with people I didnt know and sometimes with people that were close to me. I had to drop out last year b/c it was really affecting my self-esteem etc.

Since then I've been put on Prozac, and klonopin and it helps some-what but I am no where near the communication capabilities I had in HS.

Do you think my stuttering / communication problems occur solely because of my anxiety or do you think i developed some kind of speech impediment.

srs

That's a tough one. Based on my experience there's rarely one reason for stuttering but rather a combination of things that compound the problem. Do you think that the reason why your stumbling through a conversation and your words being jumbled is that you are trying to find substitutes for your "problem words" and are trying to change sentences on the fly?

I've discovered that usually when my conversation skills break down it's because my mind is racing as I try to identify potential problem words that may come up and ways to avoid them. I can't collect my thoughts and I can't keep up with what the other person is saying.

Sounds like your like me in that you are having social anxiety because of your stuttering and your stuttering because of your anxiety. Any events that you can pinpoint or changes you went through transitioning from high school to college that may increase your anxiety?

[lalanaomi]

Appreciated! How's your sister? How does she handle it? I read somewhere that females make up less than 30% up stutrers so it's fairly rare. I've never met a girl that stutters but have met several guys that do.

It was really, really difficult for her growing up. She always felt abnormal and different, as most of the people she talked to had never spoken to anyone with a speech impediment before and naturally were very ignorant. As she grew older she became more comfortable in her own skin and stopped caring what people thought, and she's truly one of the strongest people I know.

I didn't know that men tend to have it more than women, that's interesting This may have been asked, but how did you handle it growing up?

[MaximumCapacity]

i stutter everytime i talk to a cop wut do

[Armored871]

Been a stutterer since about 3. I stutter all the time, when I am out of my comfort zone, so basically with new faces and in new unfamiliar situations. My stutter is certainly related to anxiety and I am in my head all the time. I always used to avoid speaking situations, and situations where I was feeling more anxious... In the last 4-5 months, I been trying to change my attitude towards my stutter, accept it and doing things which I was afraid of doing, ex. Doing loads of phone calls, talking to strangers, introducing myself if I get a chance, saying words that I know I will stutter on. Stuttering with people on purpose really helps me as this is when I can try different speaking techniques to get out of the block, while stuttering in a relaxed way. I still get anxious in approaching a new situation but it's like a sport now and hope one day fear will gone.

OP what sort of breathing exercises are you doing? Have you tried mindfulness/meditation? What was the toughest speaking situation you ever been in and learned most from? Thanks

[GoingGuido]

I'm sorry OP. I had a severe stutter from ages 7-18, but luckily mine went away... and I've been stutter free for the past 3 years! Stay strong bro.

[DoubleDeuced]

It was really, really difficult for her growing up. She always felt abnormal and different, as most of the people she talked to had never spoken to anyone with a speech impediment before and naturally were very ignorant. As she grew older she became more comfortable in her own skin and stopped caring what people thought, and she's truly one of the strongest people I know.

I didn't know that men tend to have it more than women, that's interesting This may have been asked, but how did you handle it growing up?

I felt exactly the same growing up. I spent way too long trying to hide it and afraid of being judged. All of this was realy counter productive in developing ways to improve my speech.

I would avoid social situations and isolated myself. I was really depressed through my teens and twenties. Eventually I stopped being so afraid and try to embrace it. Facing your demons in a way. My speech and social skills improved dramatically. I truely was my own worst enemy.

[DoubleDeuced]

OP what sort of breathing exercises are you doing? Have you tried mindfulness/meditation? What was the toughest speaking situation you ever been in and learned most from? Thanks

There's a book that talks about The valsalva mechanism discussed earlier in this thread. I forget the title but it theorizes that the valsalva mechanism prevents air from entering or leaving your lungs and cuts off air to your vocal cords. The same muscles that are activated when you cough, vomit, defecate are overly used when trying to talk. You try to force the words out. The book i s full of exercises. I'll pm you the title.

I was 12 and was giving a talk in church in front of the whole congregation. I couldn't get past the 2nd sentence. The harder I tried tje worst it got. Eventually my mom came up and finished it for me. I was so humiliated. I learned that no one was going to fix or deal with this except me. This was a close 2nd to that book report freshman year of high school I mentioned earlier.

[MaximumCapacity]

i been a stutterer ever since i moved to america and i only stutter when i speak english

barely said a word from 3rd grade to the first year of highschool
people always asked me why i was so quiet back then

[lalanaomi]

I felt exactly the same growing up. I spent way too long trying to hide it and afraid of being judged. All of this was realy counter productive in developing ways to improve my speech.

I would avoid social situations and isolated myself. I was really depressed through my teens and twenties. Eventually I stopped being so afraid and try to embrace it. Facing your demons in a way. My speech and social skills improved dramatically. I truely was my own worst enemy.

Wow, it really was similar then. You have my respect. Seems like you grew a lot as a person and gained a lot of mental strength, everything happens for a reason. Keep on that path.