Stammering is a condition that affects around one in every hundred people in the UK. According to the latest reports on average three quarters of people who have a stammer are male. This article looks into the affects that stammering can have on a persons life and about possible solutions which can help people to achieve fluency. In truth, I believe it is very hard for a fluent person to fully understand just how difficult life can be for people who stammer. They can of course imagine what it could be like but only a fellow sufferer or former sufferer can really know. Using the telephone is one of the most difficult of daily tasks facing the stammerer, to such an extent many of them do whatever they can to avoid using it. Tasks which the average fluent person would consider very easy, like ordering a pizza can be very hard for people who stammer. Answering the phone is no easier however the ever rising use of mobile phones has helped as they can now see who is calling them. Socialising can also be very daunting. Other people constantly asking questions and expecting exciting and interesting conversation puts a huge pressure on people who stammer. Then there is the actual ordering of food and drink. Most people who stammer have certain sounds which they are aware they have most problems with and if for example the drink which they have to ask for begins with this sound, this as you can imagine can fill them with fear. Gaining employment and progressing up the career ladder is another potential problem for people who stammer. An interview is hard enough for fluent people but is a thousand times harder for people who have a speech impediment. If they stammer they then believe that there is no chance that they will be successful in obtaining the job. Dating is another area of life which can be a daunting prospect for any person who has a stammer. Even when they meet a woman that they like, there is then the other issues such as meeting her parents and meeting her friends. As you can see there is a seemingly never ending list of potential hazards for people who stammer and many sufferers can easily become depressed. Solutions for stammering There are various different options for people who are looking at overcoming their stammer. These include a private speech course, these can be in a group but there is probably a much higher chance of success by attending a one-to-one course. The duration of the courses can be anywhere between three and five days. There is also a number of self-help options including a dvd and stammering books. It is not easy to eradicate a stammer but if the person who has the stammer has enough determination and is willing to work very hard on practicing whatever techniques they learn, fluency is very much achievable. A number of famous people have managed to beat their own stammer such as Bruce Willis and these people should be seen as an inspiration to other sufferers. There is no longer a need to accept second best in life and to have a constant fear of talking. |
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