By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
You might be wondering why I’m writing one of my Good Stuff columns about a neurological disorder, and that’s a fair question. I’ve stuttered since early childhood, and it has been a lifetime of ups and downs regarding my speech.
I’ve been subject to some of the worst ridicule, but I’ve also been subject to some of the kindest, most understanding and patient people on the planet – and that’s what I want to focus on.
First off, let’s discuss stuttering itself. STARS (Stuttering Treatment and Research Society) states, “Stuttering is a neurological condition that affects speech timing, initiation, and flow, leading to repetitions, prolongations, or blocks. It can impact individuals of all ages, from young children learning to speak to adults in professional and social settings.”
The Stuttering Foundation, a 501(c)(3) established in 1947, states, “One of the most frustrating aspects about stuttering is that it is a variable disorder. In other words, sometimes you may stutter quite a bit and other times you may not. Because it is so variable and complex, stuttering is often misunderstood.”
I have found this to be the case in my life. There are sometimes when I can speak very fluidly, and there are other times when I am almost rendered mute because I cannot get words to come out. Most days, I fall somewhere in between.
One of the most recognizable voices in the world – that of Darth Vader and the voice of CNN – stuttered as a youth. “Stuttering is painful,” the late actor James Earl Jones once said. “In Sunday school, I’d try to read my lessons, and the children behind me were falling on the floor with laughter.”
Like I said earlier, my stuttering comes and goes in occurrence and severity and hearing that I stutter might even surprise some, but it was really bad at other points in my life. As a child and teen, there were times when, just like Jones, reading aloud was a nightmare. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to pronounce the words – I was reading at a college level by the time I was in the sixth grade. I just couldn’t get the words to come out.
One thing I want to make very, very clear. Stuttering has nothing to do with intelligence. Sometimes, people think that those of us who stutter are “dumb” or “stupid”, but that is not the case at all.
People who stutter don’t ask for special treatment. We just ask for patience. Let us finish our sentences.
One myth that I had as a teen is that I’d eventually outgrow my stuttering. Well…that didn’t happen.
The Stuttering Foundation states, “If you continue stuttering into your teenage years, you will most likely continue to stutter throughout adulthood.”
That’s fine. I stutter, and I’m ok with doing so. It isn’t anything I enjoy, but it is a part of me and something that I literally deal with every day in some form.
I want to thank the people who are patient with me daily and those who have been kind and patient over the years. To those who have made fun of me and bullied me; well…I hope you read this and learn kindness and patience towards others.
Award-winning British actress Emily Blunt once said, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of to have a stutter.”
Like me, she stutters, and I agree that it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
To all of the young people and teenagers reading this who might stutter – just be aware that there are kind people out there. It might seem like there are more mean people, but I’ve found that not to be the case. Concentrate on the kind ones and do your best and realize that it is ok to stutter. It is ok to take your time speaking.
International Stuttering Awareness Day is Oct. 22, and I hope everyone has a great day.
