postr/StutterFebruary 23, 2017

Thoughts on dysfluency as political action?

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Thoughts on dysfluency as political action? Hey, so I've got a stutter and it used to be way, way worse. However, with a lot of speech therapy and time I did manage to get rid of it. And then, when I was 18 it came back- in fact /all/ my dysfluency came back. Slurred, stammered and stuttered; it shattered my self esteem, and made me anxiety sky rocket. I'm on a performance degree, lot of speaking, but if no one can understand me, then what's the point? etc etc. But then I saw this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8XOyY54-Ew Its a poem, and it showed me that my stutter is not necessarily a huge failing, its just a difference. So, I stopped trying to make it go away. It just became part of how I speak, the jaw locking, chest crushing anxiety is gone but I still speak in a way that numerous speech therapists have told me needs 'urgent intervention'. But why? This is just how I speak. Part of who I am, and society keeping that down, quiet and typical sucks. It feels like a political action, to allow myself the space, the time, and the ability to stutter.

Themes

Causes & VariabilityCoping & AdvocacyIdentity & Disability

Subthemes

Situational VariabilityMindset shiftIdentity & Self-PerceptionMedicalization / Neurodiversity