Dr Jonathon Linklater: 'Stuttering may not be seen as life or death, but opportunities can live and die'

Stuttering is a hidden disability – you don’t know that someone stutters until they open their mouth. Last month, Costa coffee in the UK had to deal with a staff member who laughed at a customer for stuttering. Costa apologised but it suggests a need for increased awareness and public understanding of this disability.

Approximately 1pc of the population stutter – that’s around 45,000 people in Ireland. Around 5pc of children will stutter at some point – usually between the ages of two and six years of age. This means that four out of those five children will recover or resolve and develop typical fluency.

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The child who grows up stuttering can experience negative reactions. As a result, they may develop a fear of stuttering and may try to cover up this difficulty by changing words or choosing to not talk and avoiding speaking situations.

Imagine the impact that stuttering could have on your everyday life and the social, educational and professional opportunities you might have lost… you didn’t order the sandwich you really wanted (because you couldn’t say the word), you didn’t maintain that relationship (because you were afraid of using the phone), you didn’t get good results in school (because you didn’t want to be laughed at for stuttering in class), you didn’t go for that job interview (they’d never employ someone who stutters, would they?)… Stuttering may not be seen as life or death, but opportunities can live and die.

Stuttering or stammering is a communication disability characterised by repetitions, prolongations and blocks; a disruption to the free flow of speech.

There is a neurological element (the brain shows different activity when stuttering), a genetic element (stuttering tends to run in families) and a psychological element (negative thoughts and feelings can develop and affect everyday life).

For all the negatives, we know stuttering doesn’t always need to limit people. People who stutter are just as funny, clever, kind and occasionally as annoying as the rest of the population.

It’s easy to list the famous people who stutter but there are many not-so-famous people who stutter such as teachers, lawyers, home-makers, bus drivers, and even call centre staff. Stuttering can change with the right intervention and support.

What can we all do?

We can be more understanding about stuttering. We can be more open about it.

Stuttering is like an iceberg, with a small portion that you can see and hear but there is a larger, hidden part which is built up of these negative thoughts and emotions (embarrassment, fear, and shame) and avoidance behaviour (not saying words or not going into situations).

There’s no cure for stuttering. But if we care less about stuttering, that in itself can be like a cure.

By being more open and understanding, we can raise up the iceberg and expose it to sunlight to melt it – and reduce the impact so people can live their ordinary (and perhaps extraordinary) lives.

communication tips for parents

If your child is showing signs of early stuttering, let them finish what they are trying to say without interrupting them (as frustrating as this may be for you!).

Keep eye contact with them – show that you’re listening, that you have time for them and that it’s OK.

Please don’t offer advice to your child e.g. ‘slow down’, ‘take a breath’, ‘think about what you have to say’ – this can lead to them becoming more self-conscious about talking.

Of course, you can acknowledge if they are having trouble and you think they are struggling – “that looked like it was a bit tricky”, and say that “everyone gets stuck on words sometimes, that’s OK”.

If the child wants to talk about it, let them talk about it – stuttering can be very much in the moment and they may not even be aware that they were stuttering only moments ago.

Comment rather than question – “I see the blue car”, rather than “what colour is the car?” They may respond with another comment rather than feeling under pressure to answer.

Listen to what your child says and not how they say it. Your child is just as funny, clever, kind, and occasionally annoying whether they stutter or not – see the child not the stutter.

When meeting a person who stutters…

Keep eye contact – show you are listening and interested.

Don’t finish sentences – the person knows what they want to say.

Be patient – it may take a bit longer but the person who stutters will get there in the end.

Concerned parents should refer into local speech and language therapy services. Many areas have waiting lists but referring your child can only strengthen the case for investment and improved services.

International Stuttering Awareness Day takes place this Tuesday. The 13th National Stammering Awareness Day took place yesterday.

Dr Jonathon Linklater, an independent speech and language therapist in Dublin, stutters himself. He has been involved with the Irish Stammering Association since 2003 and is currently the development manager for the charity. www.linklater.ie

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