By Neena Strichart
I recently received a press release from the Stuttering Foundation of America (SFA) announcing that International Stuttering Awareness Day is next Wednesday on Oct. 22. Having a history of stuttering myself, I want to share the information with our readers. Doing a bit of research to add to this column, I have learned that I am in good company, as many famous people have also had issues with stuttering: Winston Churchill, Charles Darwin and even George Washington. Most famously known as a stutterer, thanks to the Academy Award-winning movie The King’s Speech, was King George VI of England who worked diligently to deal with his speech issues.
According to SFA’s press release, they have a website, StutteringHelp.org, that offers myriad ways stutters can find support and information relating to speech pathology. The group can also be found on Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube and can be followed on Twitter. Those who are interested can also email SFA at info@stutteringhelp.org . Additionally, they have a toll-free helpline at 800-992-9392 and can receive inquiries by mail at PO Box 11749, Memphis, TN 38111-0749.
Six years ago, Oct. 16, 2008 to be exact, I wrote a column about my personal history of stuttering, and I told of a particularly difficult time in my life when my stuttering darn near rendered me speechless. I hoped that relaying my experiences with stuttering would be helpful. Most of us know someone who has speech issues. Learning more about it can aid us all in becoming more understanding of those who deal with stuttering, stammering or any type of speech impediment. Not being able to communicate verbally in a normal manner can be very difficult to live with as it may elicit judgmental behaviors from others, especially when the one who stutters is a small child. Bullying is definitely a problem for children who deal with speech issues. I know— I was one of those children. Below is the reprint of my column from 2008.
Although I am quite a chatterbox, I too have a bit of a stutter. It started in about 4th grade. I pretty much learned to live with it— that is until I had a nearly silencing flare-up 20 years ago.
I was going through an especially stressful time in 1994 and was prescribed a mild tranquilizer by my family doctor. Besides the strain of the circumstances, I found I had developed a horrible stutter— and could not pronounce words that started with “S.” Picture this! my name is Neena Strichart, I worked for the Signal newspaper and worked/lived in Signal Hill. Not being able to say my Ss made my life miserable.
I mentioned the problem to my doctor, who basically claimed it was stress-related. I eventually sought help from the speech pathology department at CSULB. I was a graduating senior that year and was able to be treated free of charge. After several weeks of treatment with no relief, my darling husband mentioned my condition to his audiologist, Dr. Bernard Landers, a man who had treated me for a tongue thrust when I was 7 years old. Dr. Landers told Steve to get me off the tranquilizers immediately because they were probably causing my throat to spasm, therefore causing the stuttering. I dumped the drugs immediately, and the stuttering disappeared just as quickly as it came. I called my doctor and filled him in— he was unimpressed— so I found a new doctor. I called the folks at the CSULB speech pathology department who rejoiced in my “cure.”
