commentr/StutterMarch 21, 2022

Content

Thank You! Always happy to answer questions! >How severe of a stutter did you have before adult speech therapy? I was a severe stutterer from my earliest memory. Severe, as in, never a fluent sentence. Blocks so bad that I ran out of air. I knew I would always stutter. The blocks grew from a 'simple' stutter to jaw-locked blocks that would last until I ran out of breath. At about age 13, I went to the optician's office to pick up my glasses. When I got to the counter, I had a really bad block. I couldn't get my name out. The counter person handled it really poorly, which just aggravated my stutter. I couldn't get anything out. They literally kicked me out of the store. They thought I was chanting, or wrong in the head, or whatever. Words can't do justice to the feelings of hurt, shame, and anger I felt that day. Over 30 years later, and that memory still hurts. I doubt anyone outside of this forum can understand what that felt like. ​ >Which speech therapy program did you use? Read my comments in this thread. Read the whole thread, as I believe I cover a lot of ground across about eight different comments. [https://www.reddit.com/r/Stutter/comments/okaf40/does\_speech\_therapy\_work/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Stutter/comments/okaf40/does_speech_therapy_work/) ​ >How long it take for results? For me, roughly six months... As I indicate in the link, the speech therapy I received didn't allow me to put my fluency into practice until I was ready. I've seen others here recently comment that they were able to achieve fluency in *two months!* It's my belief that the results are dependent on the amount you practice. I use the analogy of going to the gym or learning a musical instrument. The more you practice, the better the results. The two month person indicated they were practicing 90 minutes a day.

Themes

Anticipation & AvoidanceEmotional ExperienceIdentity & Disability

Subthemes

Avoidance & SubstitutionShame & EmbarrassmentFrustration & AngerAnxiety & Social JudgmentStigma & Bullying

Codes (1)

ordering_service_encounter