Patient Perspectives: Stuttering Management
Patient Perspectives: Stuttering Management
DD
Tampa, Florida
SP/Beck: Good Morning. Thanks for meeting with me to share your story.
DD: Hi. Thanks for inviting me.
SP/Beck: Can you please tell me a little about your personal history with stuttering? When did it first occur?
DD: I’ve been told that the first time I stuttered I was around 7 years old, but the first time I remember stuttering I was about 10 years old. I did seek help until I was 20 years old. College and the prospect of job interviews made me address the issue more seriously. I did some research and came across a “fluency institute” which I attended for 4 weeks. Not having much success with that program I started seeing Janet Skotko. Janet is my speech language pathologist.
SP/Beck: Do you know if there is a family history of stuttering?
DD: My father had a brief speech dysfluency when he was a teenager, but it went away. Apart from that, no history that I’m aware of.
SP/Beck: Can you tell me a little about programs that didn’t work – and importantly, why do you think they didn’t work?
DD: From my experience, the least useful program I went through was the one I mentioned a moment ago. It was very structured and didn’t address me as an individual or my particular and specific problem. I went through the program with 12 other individuals. Each of us stuttered in a different way, but the program didn’t accommodate or target our individual problems. The basis of the program was slowing down my speech and using easy onset, my speech became very robot-like. Two months after I left the program, my fluency reverted back to the original starting point.
SP/Beck: What was the most useful program you went through?
DD: I think the breathing exercises that Janet Skotko taught me through a series of tapes were the most useful and helped me the most. It taught me to monitor my breathing as well as to regulate my breathing using the stomach muscles. The breathing exercises are the foundation upon which I have added bits and pieces of different programs, combining them into what works for me.
SP/BECK: Can you please tell me a little about the bits and pieces from other programs? What have you added?
DD: Apart from breathing exercises I found that pitch exercises help me quite a bit. These exercises allow me to relax my vocal cords and use all the air I have inside. To be honest these pitch exercises also give me a very good feeling when I’m done. What I’ve added myself are just variations of the exercises, for example changing the intervals of the pitch exercises from 4 seconds to 6 seconds and so on. I try not to allow myself to adapt to the exercises.
SP/Beck: How has stuttering impacted your social life?
DD: I tend to be reserved when I first meet people. After I get to know them fairly well, I start to open up and be myself. In school I used to rarely ask questions due to fear of exposing myself. I think I tend to act more shy in social situations than I really am. Sometimes I'm reluctant to meet new people. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by a group of people who support and understand me, and this has allowed me to live a pretty normal life. The biggest impact is that sometimes I have to alter my personality, instead of being myself all the time.
SP/Beck: Do you believe stuttering has impacted your personal life?
DD: Yes, I seem to have the most problem with my two brothers and father. This has resulted in a lack of communication at times. I have avoided calling my dad because I knew it would be a struggle, although I really wanted to talk to him. I think I would have a closer relationship with my dad if I didn’t stutter.
SP/Beck: That must be very difficult for you, and I suppose for him too?
DD: Sometimes I dwell on how things would be if I was 100% fluent and how much better my relationship with my dad would be. Since it is a difficult subject to approach I have never talked to my dad about it, this is something that maybe in the future I’ll be able to address. I think that this also bothers him quite a bit but he would never approach me about it, he would want me to take the first step.
SP/Beck: What effect has your stuttering had on your choice of career options and how has it affected your present career?
DD: Whenever I was looking for a job, I stayed away from sales and other jobs that required me to use ''speech'' constantly. I was also apprehensive about going to interviews and participating in the whole hiring process. I felt that during an interview, I was not going to be able to express myself completely. Ironically enough, my current job involves interviewing clients daily, and I'm glad to say this experience has helped me understand my stuttering better and has reinforced my practicing the techniques that work for me.
SP/Beck: The program you participated in has to do with ''circles'' and ''icebergs.'' I wonder if you can explain what those terms mean to you, with regard to stuttering?
DD: To me “circles” means fluency and dysfluency. The closer I am to the center circle, the closer I am to fluency. Circles are also a tool my speech pathologist and I use to assess my progress. Stuttering itself is the tip of the iceberg, the stuttering is what people see, but there is much more to stuttering than that which is seen and heard. People who stutter tend to carry a lot of baggage and this baggage is usually under the surface. Very few people are able to see it or relate to it. By confronting and understanding what’s under the surface, I was able to better understand my stuttering and focus on the aspects of stuttering which I can manipulate, instead of focusing on aspects I have no control over.
SP/Beck: What did you learn by using the circle? Did a particular aspect have the most meaning to you?
DD: I learned there will always be ups and downs, and that I should really focus on the big picture. The circle allowed me to see progress, and assess what’s working and what isn’t. I remember times when I though I had a bad week, but when I placed my dot on the circle I noticed that even though I had a bad week, it wasn’t as bad as the week three weeks ago. This way I focused on the positive instead of ''beating'' myself up on the negative. Before I spent too much time focusing on the ''downs'', the circle gave me a way to monitor my progress and to realize that progress was being made.
SP/Beck: How long did it take before you saw positive changes?
DD: By the end of the fourth week I started to notice that my dots were getting closer and closer to the ''fluent'' circle and that I was making progress. That gave me confidence and I started to focus on the
positive. Confidence allowed me to slowly engage in activities, that I previously would have been apprehensive about. The more I thought about speech, the worse my speech became, but by maintaining a positive attitude I thought about speech less and less, and my stuttering improved.
SP/Beck: Is there anything you do daily to better understand or manage your stuttering?
DD: Everyday, when I'm driving to work, I practice my breathing and relaxing exercises. Helps me start the day in positive way and relieve any tension I might have on my throat, lips and tongue.
SP/Beck: If you could tell the world one thing about what it's like to stutter, what would that be?
DD: It’s a constant struggle -- but you become a better person because of it!
SP/Beck: DD, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and your time with us. I wish you all the best for continued success.
DD: Thanks Dr. Beck.
For more information on CIRCLE SELF ASSESSMENT for STUTTERERS, CLICK HERE.