commentr/StutterMarch 2, 2019

Content

Hi there! You're going to get tons of good advice in here and guidance. Speech therapy can be a wonderful thing for helping with stuttering and there are so many success stories. Stuttering can be linked to anxiety and stress. I don't know what caused mine to flare up, I can't remember never not stuttering, but mine has always been anxiety and stress. Maybe you can find age-appropriate ways to meditate or teach her mindfulness, ways to calm herself down. And the calming doesn't have to be in that moment. When I'm noticing my stuttering has gotten bad, I take some extra time for myself that evening and get my brain and my muscles to relax. My stuttering likes to physically lodge itself in a tightness in my neck, shoulders and jar. So.. look into things that can help her if she appears to be getting anxious or stressed around the stutter. Try and break that feedback loop of stress and anxiety feeding the stutter which then causes more stress and anxiety - but without drawing attention to the stutter (thus making her aware that it's 'not good' because children very much want to please their parents often and that could make her stress even more). I just wanted reassure you too that if your daughter continues to stutter as an adult, she will be amazing and awesome and lovely and beautiful and strong and fierce regardless of the stutter. In Lisa Barone's TEDx Albany talk, she said the following: "Just 1% of the Adult Population Stutters, 80% of that number are men. That means standing up here I am as close as you will ever see to a real-life unicorn." As one of those rare women stutterers (who will talk your ear off if you let me) , I embrace the unicorn! You're doing amazing, keep encouraging her to speak up, to stand up, to use her voice and her power.

Themes

Coping & AdvocacyEmotional ExperienceIdentity & Disability

Subthemes

Mindfulness & BreathingAnxiety & Social JudgmentIdentity & Self-Perception