Who will ever forget Gareth Gates' first audition on the X factor? How incredulous that someone who had a stammer could sing so magnificently! At least that was the impression Simon Cowell and co. very much gave. But it is frequently the case that people who stammer can whisper and sing very fluently indeed.
The term 'stammer' covers a wide range of behaviours, for example, where one person may get stuck on just one word or sound, another person may repeat sounds or go back on words again and again. Almost 9% of the UK population stammers and it is about three times more likely to occur in males than females.
It usually starts in childhood, between the ages of 2 - 5, but most children grow out of it without any specific therapy.
The very act of putting our thoughts into a coherent pattern and then organising those thoughts into speech, is a very complex proceedure for the human brain and it is quite astonishing that we all don't stammer.
Whilst there is a lot of research going on at present to find out why stammering occurs, no-one really understands exactly why it does. Some researchers are looking at the roles of chemicals in the brain that transmit messages between brain cells, whilst others are suggesting that speech formation is jumping the gunbefore the language processing has been completed.
The most likely answer, according to the British Stammering Association, is that it is caused by a combination of factors rather than a single issue.
Feelings and emotions are also likely to influence our speech. Often emotional stress can have an impact on our patterns of speech.
FAMILY HELP
Whatever the reasons, help is always available. Your local GP can refer you to a speech and language therapist, preferably one who specialises in stammering, and for those of us who have a family member with a stammer, there are specific ways in which we can help.
Specifically, do not give unhelpful advice, such as 'slow down' or 'take a deep breath'. Just accept that the person stammers.
Secondly, do be patient and maintain eye contact with the stammerer when he or she speaks. Its not a good idea to interrupt or finish words for the stammerer. In fact, this can be quite frustrating. Finally, concentrate on what is being said, rather than how it is being said.
SELF HELP
For the stammerer, there are lots of ways to help yourself. Firstly, you need to define the problem by analysing what you actually do when you stammer, for example, do you prolong certain sounds or do you avoid certain words altogether.
Consider your feelings too- perhaps you are angry with yourself or perhaps you are better with certain people or in certain situations.
One thing is clear- trying to hide the problem won't make it go away. Once you accept that you have the problem then much can be done to eliminate it.
Fluency in speech varies greatly - we often imagine that everyone speaks more clearly than we do, but its not always the case.
In fact, none of us can be fluent all of the time. Quite often, fluent speakers are quite hesitant when speaking.
You only have to listen to radio phone-ins to realise that fluency in speaking does not come easily to many people. So take heart and be realistic about your stammer.
PROFESSIONAL HELP
The British Stammering Association have published a range of leaflets which deal specifically with stammering in pre-school children, primary age children, teens and adults.
Contact their website for more information on www.britishstammering association.org.uk.
