Stuttering and Identity

[Zachary]

Do you feel your stuttering issue is integral to your identity? Also, has it affected you for the better or worse? If so, explain please.


Basically ... I've come to the realization I would not be the same person I am today without having a stutter. In this sense, I am very grateful for being a PWS, as I am very pleased with the person I have grown to be. I feel stuttering is an integral part of my being and will not change. In fact, during times of increased fluency, I often miss my stutter. I recognize the positive benefits I have reaped from growing with such adversity, and I yearn for more challenge.

So ... Has your speech disfluency affected your identity for the better or worse? Do you feel you would not be the same person today without your stutter? Is your stutter integral to your identity?

... Are you grateful for it?

[Violet]

Do you feel your stuttering issue is integral to your identity? Also, has it affected you for the better or worse? If so, explain please.


Basically ... I've come to the realization I would not be the same person I am today without having a stutter. In this sense, I am very grateful for being a PWS, as I am very pleased with the person I have grown to be. I feel stuttering is an integral part of my being and will not change. In fact, during times of increased fluency, I often miss my stutter. I recognize the positive benefits I have reaped from growing with such adversity, and I yearn for more challenge.

So ... Has your speech disfluency affected your identity for the better or worse? Do you feel you would not be the same person today without your stutter? Is your stutter integral to your identity?

... Are you grateful for it?

That is so true. If i didn't stutter i would be a different person.. well actually not a completely different person.. actually i'm not sure.
I can be extroverted as well as introverted and i hate confrontation and i hate when people get angry at me, or at anyone in general, or just generally angry.. because i feel it creates so much negative energy and i just don't know how to cope with it. I can be highly empathetic and i understand people well from the smallest signs. I cry at movies, books, etc even though i know its not real life i still cry for the situation because i am sure that there are millions of people out there who can relate to the situation. I'm never really 'angry'.. more highly annoyed, irritated, disgruntled, and/or hurt. I never scream at people when i'm angry.. more silently plot. haha. I need to talk about things so that i can move on from issues.. even as trivial as school yard events.. call that ing but i call it more of a 'discussion'. I like to occasionally observe people and remain silent and i like to solitary walks.

I think that if i didnt stutter i would be far more extroverted in a greater variety of situations because i would speak twice as much as i already do. which is kinda too much i think.. so i don't think that i would really know how to listen very well. I think that i would control my emotions better (haha lucky Asif isn't around to hear that) but then again i'm not sure. Perhaps i would speak out more when i was discontent. I still think i would be empathetic and intuitive and i still think i would gossip. Maybe i would deal with anger better but then again i'm not sure because my mother doesnt deal with anger very well either.

I think that fundamentally i would be the same person.. Just exagerated slightly. I would talk more, and feel more comfortable more quickly, but i still think i would also like to sometimes take a step back and observe people and the situation.

So personally, no, i am not greatful for it.. If i didnt stutter i actually think that i would be pretty much the same person but without the restraints.

Is it an integral part of my identity? I often do fell that way... But this morning, no i don't think it's an integral part of my identity.. wow thats like the first time i've ever been able to think like that.. :D :)

[emily445455]

I definitly agree. I would not be the same person if I grew up fluent. I am very compasionate and understanding because I grew up with a stutter. I don't think I would be if I grew up fluent.

[chris2112]

Do you feel your stuttering issue is integral to your identity? Also, has it affected you for the better or worse? If so, explain please.


Basically ... I've come to the realization I would not be the same person I am today without having a stutter. In this sense, I am very grateful for being a PWS, as I am very pleased with the person I have grown to be. I feel stuttering is an integral part of my being and will not change. In fact, during times of increased fluency, I often miss my stutter. I recognize the positive benefits I have reaped from growing with such adversity, and I yearn for more challenge.

So ... Has your speech disfluency affected your identity for the better or worse? Do you feel you would not be the same person today without your stutter? Is your stutter integral to your identity?

... Are you grateful for it?

In this way I am very grateful for it. Living with such an difficult adversity really builds charactor. I think stutterers are naturally more likely to be empathetic, understanding, perceptive, thoughtful, and stronger. Painful situations teach people things, we LIVE with one. Instead of getting caught right up in the social norm of things, stuttering made me step back to observe and think much more. It has taught me how to be alone and constructive when other people wouldnt know what to do with themselves. It has taught me that my life is much more then how other people see me, something alot of people never get out of, it has made me see what really matters in life. I have no doubt I would not be the same person at all if I didnt stutter. I still have my issues with the pain of stuttering, but I am greatful for it too.

[mizzOe]

I'll be honest with you, I still loathe the fact that I stutter. It seems to have limited me in a lot of career options, and basically pushed me away from becoming the person who I would have liked to be.

The only thing I could say I like about stuttering is that I don't talk as much, and I get to hear other people go on about their bullshit, and then I realise how much shit they're actually talking :p

[nate]

That is so true. If i didn't stutter i would be a different person.. well actually not a completely different person.. actually i'm not sure.
I can be extroverted as well as introverted and i hate confrontation and i hate when people get angry at me, or at anyone in general, or just generally angry.. because i feel it creates so much negative energy and i just don't know how to cope with it. I can be highly empathetic and i understand people well from the smallest signs. I cry. I'm never really 'angry'.. more highly annoyed, irritated, disgruntled, and/or hurt. I never scream at people when i'm angry.. more silently plot. haha.

I think that if i didnt stutter i would be far more extroverted in a greater variety of situations because i would speak twice as much as i already do. which is kinda too much i think.. so i don't think that i would really know how to listen very well. I think that i would control my emotions better (haha lucky Asif isn't around to hear that) but then again i'm not sure. Perhaps i would speak out more when i was discontent. I still think i would be empathetic and intuitive.

I think that fundamentally i would be the same person.. Just exagerated slightly. I would talk more, and feel more comfortable more quickly, but i still think i would also like to sometimes take a step back and observe people and the situation.

So personally, no, i am not greatful for it.. If i didnt stutter i actually think that i would be pretty much the same person but without the restraints.

Is it an integral part of my identity? I often do fell that way... But this morning, no i don't think it's an integral part of my identity.. wow thats like the first time i've ever been able to think like that.. :D :)

Ahh a woman after my own heart. Ditto
Nate

[Zachary]

I'll be honest with you, I still loathe the fact that I stutter. It seems to have limited me in a lot of career options, and basically pushed me away from becoming the person who I would have liked to be.

I can definitely relate. For me it would be speaking over the phone. I completely fall apart, thus severely limiting my career choices. I still feel bitter from time to time over this. Something that kind of helps me with this issue is reminding myself I'm not the non-stuttering guy I like to imagine myself as ... or other people like to think I'll become. Overall, I think the positive aspects of stuttering balance out the negative.

The only thing I could say I like about stuttering is that I don't talk as much, and I get to hear other people go on about their bullshit, and then I realize how much shit they're actually talking :p

QFT. This is primarily the reason I keep to myself. A lot of people make such spectacles of themselves. I think they take speech for granted ... abuse it rather ... haha, funny notion. 1st amendment ftw :rolleyes:

[AstralMystic]

Stuttering is very much a part of my identity... much to my great annoyance. I would much rather be know as a woman who says what's on her mind, trying to help people when she can, and is intelligent and creative. Amazing how that can be overshadowed by being known as simply the person who stutters. As a stutterer it is harder, at least for me, to be taken serious a lot of the time. Not a part of my identity I am proud of at all. If I did not stutter, I'm not sure how different I would be. Other than likely having the job I want and not being limited due to not always being able to use the phone I don't think I'd be different at all.

[Adrian]

Stuttering has probably effected us all in both positive and negative ways. But, personally, I don't think about this too much. We all have certain strengths and certain challenges and they are what they are. Unless we can peer into alternate universes we will never really know how stuttering or any other attributes have effected us. We just need to live our lives with the cards we have been dealt and not worry about the "what if's."

[Jamus]

I can't say that I am totally grateful. I've always been the stutterer who has rebeled against the way he talks. It took me until I was in my mid-twenties, about 18 years since I started stuttering at age 6, to begin to accept that my stutter is a part of me, and to not fight it because I will stutter no matter what. After that realization, I wasn't as scared anymore. I am me and if others cannot tolerate the way I talk, then they are a negative influence in my life and I don't need them around me. It's made me see what people are made out of. And for that, I am grateful. It's made me a compassionate person, something I love about myself. And it bothers me that some people can be so selfish and not have tolerance for those who are honest and real. I weed out the fake people and gain strength from the real ones.

On the negative side, yes, it has limited me in this life to a great extent. It's destroyed my self confidence since I was a little kid, and it's been extremely difficult building it up, b/c I never really had a self confidence, ever. I still struggle to find my confidence from time to time. And it still interferes with my life at many levels. I cannot blame others for not being more understanding of my disability. B/c some people believe that perfection exists. Something I disbelieve in. But I respect others' perspective, b/c everyone has their own view from their own experiences in life. Something I can never disagree with.
I am imperfect and embrace that part of me. And that helps me on many levels, but it also crushes my spirit at times. But I am resilient!

[Tom]

I'm 18 at the moment and am probably entering one of the most stressful phases of my life. At 18 years old, people expect you to become more independent which is great if you're confident with your speech. But for someone who stutters, it can be scary. As I get older, it's becoming less acceptable for mum to do things for me. There's also more expectation of you to get a girl friend (which would be great), but naturally, you tend to avoid girls as a stutterer to avoid embarrassment, and due to one's tendency to want to limit socialising, it can be difficult to meet girls.

Stuttering causes me nothing but frustration and stress/anxiety. Sometimes I think about what I could be like (confident, outgoing, etc) and that's often what gets me down the most, but that thought can be turned into a positive. As a stutterer, I'm managing pretty well I think, so if I do get over the stutter which I'm confident I will, I've got a whole lot to look forward to, and that can keep me motivated, and helps me stay positive.

It's good some of you can be so positive about it. But I hope you're all still proactive in trying to improve your speech.

[jak]

I think stuttering pushes people towards the negative and dark side of life ,the dark side that you would never see as a non stutterer

[Adrian]

I think stuttering pushes people towards the negative and dark side of life ,the dark side that you would never see as a non stutterer

I know many people who do not stutter who have been pushed towards this dark side of life. Everyone has a tough time, not just those of us who stutter.

[grantM]

Well stuttering has made me the man I am today. It is impossible to speculate what may have happened in my life if I did not acquire it at a young age. Although I do not wake up a stutterer - I develop into one over the day.

Here is a little story that happened to me about a month ago. I was presenting at a conference ( I present with a very marked stutter most of the time). An organiser came up to me and asked how I wanted to be introduced: as being speech impaired or having a speech impediment. I was floored and responded please introduce me as "Grant'!

[Silent]

Stuttering defines me. It's on my mind 99% of my waking time. It is the worst thing that has happened to me, if not the only thing. I was a talkative person before I started stuttering. Now I'd rather walk through nettles for 10 miles than ask for a bus ticket, and drink out of a muddy puddle than ask for a bottle of water. Because of my stuttering, I'm making 1/3 the money I would if I didn't stutter. Stuttering has made me a miserable, phobic, mute low-life.

I will eradicate my stutter or die trying.

[mizzOe]

Stuttering is very much a part of my identity... much to my great annoyance. I would much rather be know as a woman who says what's on her mind, trying to help people when she can, and is intelligent and creative. Amazing how that can be overshadowed by being known as simply the person who stutters. As a stutterer it is harder, at least for me, to be taken serious a lot of the time. Not a part of my identity I am proud of at all. If I did not stutter, I'm not sure how different I would be. Other than likely having the job I want and not being limited due to not always being able to use the phone I don't think I'd be different at all.

I guess I wouldn't be the only one to say 'wow' to this post, because it's definitely how I feel in the sense of not being taken seriously by people. Also being known as someone who is intelligent and creative - I'm only known as that person online, but once I'm in a real life situation, the people I've spoken to online seem to wonder if I'm the same person I am online.

[Silent]

Also being known as someone who is intelligent and creative - I'm only known as that person online, but once I'm in a real life situation, the people I've spoken to online seem to wonder if I'm the same person I am online.
I've had people who had only met me in real life wonder when they saw what kind of books or magazines I read... They wouldn't have thought I would understand those.

[Silent]

if I were not a PWS I probably would not have worked as hard as I have to be where I am.
Same here. And I would have gone much farther than I have, despite not having worked as hard.

[Silent]

Stuttering motivates us to work twice as hard to achieve half as much ;)

[needausername]

Do you feel your stuttering issue is integral to your identity? Also, has it affected you for the better or worse? If so, explain please.


Basically ... I've come to the realization I would not be the same person I am today without having a stutter. In this sense, I am very grateful for being a PWS, as I am very pleased with the person I have grown to be. I feel stuttering is an integral part of my being and will not change. In fact, during times of increased fluency, I often miss my stutter. I recognize the positive benefits I have reaped from growing with such adversity, and I yearn for more challenge.

So ... Has your speech disfluency affected your identity for the better or worse? Do you feel you would not be the same person today without your stutter? Is your stutter integral to your identity?

... Are you grateful for it?

I feel I would be more social if I did not have a stutter. Instead of not talking a lot. I also think that I would have a better job if I did not stutter. I think my speech has affected my life for worse.

[claragazza]

So ... Has your speech disfluency affected your identity for the better or worse? Do you feel you would not be the same person today without your stutter? Is your stutter integral to your identity?

... Are you grateful for it?

My stutter is an integral part of my identity, and perhaps mainly because it is an integral part of what I am in people's mind: in their view I am "the stuttering girl/woman". When they speak to me they think about it in terms of speaking with a person with a stutter.

[DKoz]

I definitely would be a different person if I did not stutter. I actually think about this a lot.

For starters, I would not be as shy as I currently am and I would talk more in social gatherings. One of the benefits to my stuttering is that since I do not talk that much, I've become a better listener. Because I'm a good listener my friends and family can count on me to hear out their problems.

[sst]

I would be a totally different person if I didn't stutter, like most of us here.

I probably wouldn't be able to identify with other people who have disabilities, because I wouldn't know how they feel. Since I stutter, I know how they feel. I think people who stutter are unique because we've all had those situations where we feel out of place.

I would be much more outgoing, obviously. I wouldn't even think twice about meeting new people, since I wouldn't have to fear anyone having a bad reaction to my stutter.

Obviously, I think most of us here would rather not stutter at all, myself included. It has made me regret missing out on a lot in life, and preventing me from doing some things. But we shouldn't dwell on things we can't change, so I don't think about it too much.

[eva]

I would've wasted a lot less time without the stutter. It's annoying sometimes when it gets on my way and I have to struggle through and do the same things everyone else has and try not to care about the stutter. I could live without it, now it's just something I have to deal with. I accept it but I'm not grateful for it.

[Standingtall]

I may not like who i may have become, maybe i would be one of those people that don't have any patience for PWS. i don't know if i would be where i am now in life with my career by judging by my siblings and were they are at. I may not have had that many relationships, but i can say i had strong quality ones. I guess it all boils down is to what is important to u. I know the kind of person i want to be and only i can hold myself back from becoming that person.

[Bobby]

My passion has always been music. Stuttering never got in the way of performing, writing or listening to music.

Stuttering has probably let me feel emotions some people might not feel in this lifetime, and thus give me the chance to write some unique music.

[Violet]

My passion has always been music. Stuttering never got in the way of performing, writing or listening to music.

Stuttering has probably let me feel emotions some people might not feel in this lifetime, and thus give me the chance to write some unique music.

yeah true.. i think also, for alot of us, stuttering has put things into perspective.. although sometimes the perspective is a little overly negative.. haha :p

i wonder what non stutters worry about? I suppose everyone has their skeletons in the closet, our stutter is just more obvious most of the time..

But seriously though, the only thing that really hurts me is my stutter.. everything else in retrospective relates to my stutter in some way or another.. so really for me my stutter is the foundation of all angsty feelings i have and will ever have. When i am happy with my stutter i feel like everything within me is happy. :D Seriously this place is one of the only places i feel i can just stutter and be cool with it (even though there is technically no speaking involved here haha)

I wonder what is the pinpoint of all negative emotions in people who are not disabled? because i am assuming that people with other disabilities would feel the same way that we would have felt/still do.
Do you think people are ever truly happy within themselves? do you think that is even possible? haha maybe i'm just emo. lolol

this actually really interests me now that i think of it.. i love reading people ahah perhaps i'm just to nosey and stalkerish for my own good :p

[cjm555]

Until i was around 14 i realy had a hard time identifying myself any way other than a kid who stutters. Then i discovered paintball and things seemed to change. it was how i identified myself. and it got easier as it went on. around 17-19 it honestly became almost who i was and it helped knowing that my team (not being y but i know it sounds like it) was the best team in our area.

[thaddeus]

I used to feel sorry for myself all the time, going on and on about how i wish i didnt stutter thinking about sucide everything.Ive stuttered all my life but, stuttering really didnt effect my life until i came to texas, i knew i always stuttered but i didnt pay it any mind(mind you i was young ) at that time, so i guess when ur young you dont pay it any attention thats how it was for me at least.Before i came to texas i was a happy go lucky boy, made friends with everyone didnt care who or how old you were(i miss those days)back in those days i can proudly say i was a leader and people loved me.When i came to texas around 10 i changed , i went into a total recluse, went from a loud very out going person to a quiet shy boy,and from then on till now im still known as the quite boy.When i came here after the 6th or 7th time we moved i became that boy u see in the corner of the class in the back row,always going to the back seat of every class trying not to get noticed because i didnt want to have to speak and get made fun of.Well im not gonna go into major details ,but i can happily say stuttering has made me who i am today,Yes i wonder what my life would be life if i didnt stutter,and i realize ,all that i know now is because i stutter.I lived the life of a loud person and now a quiet person and when your quite you listen more , your very observant,and your attentive.Im very observant and that has helped me learn alot,Ive always been a leader by nature, but im glad texas came into my life and made me really notice my stutter, for all the years i was in recluse i learned so much.This is only the beginning for me I just started a website for stuttering teens and adults i did alot of work on it my site looks great im proud of that, and im going to be an entrepreneur with many businesses. Im Thaddeus im 20 and im the best person you could ever know.Anyone from texas comment bac i need sum stuttering friends

[Alex]

I agree with most, if not all, the things already posted on this thread. Without a stutter, I think that my listening and grammar skills would be diminished to an extent, because I would have an easier time speaking. The way I see it, everything evens out. For example, a blind person can't see, but has better hearing than those who can see because of his lack of sight. I see it the same way with stuttering. If you don't speak fluently, you speak less and are more quiet than others, but you understand more and process information better than a fluent person. Plus, if you're a word-substitutionist like me, you have a pretty expansive vocabulary (walking thesaurus :D haha)!

I hope this all makes sense, because it was clear in my head, but doesn't seem so clear now that I typed it out... haha.

But yeah, just my opinion.

[aneclato30]

Positive: I am a well grounded person, loving father and husband. I listen well and can give damn good advice to others. In a crisis i am calm and always seem to know what to do.

Negative: Were it not for my stutter I know I could have achieved so much more in life. Its like I never will reach my full potential because of stuttering.

Future: I want to grow the positives and continue pushing to change the negatives.

[danalorenzana]

I definitely believe that I would not be the same person without my stutter. Since most people can hide their weaknesses, not having to deal with it publicly doesn't make the as strong as they could be. But because I stutter (as well as others), having to deal with my weakness up front and personal every single day even in the smallest of situations has given me strength, compassion, and endurance. My dad always tells me that because we have a stutter, we are possibly able to endure things more than do most people.

Of course, there are times that I question God about my stutter and why I have it, but one of my best friends stutters, so we are always praying about it together and talking about it. It's strange in a sense that I question God about it when I will only find out when I get to heaven. However, I feel like maybe one of the reasons I stutter is because it has greatly built my strength. And I actually thank God for that every day, because without the strength I have now, I don't know where or who I would be.

[agantx]

I know for sure that I definitely would not be the same person if I didn't stutter. I'm a very friendly and understanding person because of my stuttering and the hardships I had to endure in my life due to my stuttering. That’s one of the very few benefits of stuttering. :)

[JDRow]

It's good some of you can be so positive about it. But I hope you're all still proactive in trying to improve your speech.

Why would that concern you either way?

I would say that stuttering is definitely a big factor in who I am, but so are a lot of other things. I would be a different person if I didn't stutter, but I'd also be a different person if I was an only child instead of having five siblings, or if I was raised by atheists instead of crazy fundamentalists. I'd be a different person if I was born in a village somewhere in Africa instead of in Michigan. There are so many things that could have happened where I'd be a very different person, and I have no way of knowing how much not stuttering would have changed things.

[grantM]

I have no way of knowing how much not stuttering would have changed things.

Exactly JD and we should make the most of the situation we are in. You have no way of knowing how your life would have turned out without the stutter

[JDRow]

Yeah, I don't think it's very productive to think that, if you didn't stutter, your life would have been better or easier, or you would have achieved more. Because it's not like people who don't stutter all have wonderful, easy lives where they achieve everything they could. For all I know, if everything in my life was the same except I didn't stutter, maybe I would have been a little more outgoing, and would have become friends with people who did a lot of drugs, and would have become a drug addict, and my life would be a lot worse than it is now. Not that that's likely, but anything's possible if we're thinking about these things. I know enough non-stutterers with really crappy lives to think that if I didn't stutter, everything would be great.

[grantM]

I agree JD.

[justthere]

I'll be honest with you, I still loathe the fact that I stutter. It seems to have limited me in a lot of career options, and basically pushed me away from becoming the person who I would have liked to be.

The only thing I could say I like about stuttering is that I don't talk as much, and I get to hear other people go on about their bullshit, and then I realise how much shit they're actually talking :p

jackie chan(in Rush hour): Not being able to speak is not the same as not speaking. You seem as if you like to talk. I like to let people talk who like to talk. It makes it easier to find out how full of shit they are.

-------

i think i would be completely different if i didnt stutter........ i think it held me back alot. well i held myself back i guess.........but i just accept it now because there is nothing i can do about the past.

[Jamus]

I would say that stuttering is definitely a big factor in who I am, but so are a lot of other things. I would be a different person if I didn't stutter, but I'd also be a different person if I was an only child instead of having five siblings, or if I was raised by atheists instead of crazy fundamentalists. I'd be a different person if I was born in a village somewhere in Africa instead of in Michigan. There are so many things that could have happened where I'd be a very different person, and I have no way of knowing how much not stuttering would have changed things.

That is a great perspective of looking at our situations as stutterers. It shows the big picture of who we are amongst non-stutterers out there. These are the cards we were dealt just like the next person who say might have severe acne, for example. Everyone has something in their lives that shapes their lives. We are NO different. It's very healthy to see it in this way :cool:

[grantM]

Exactly Jamus. Even amongst ourselves we are very different and have varying views and agendas. That is what makes it interesting :) Some of us are far more at peace with our stutter.

[Silent]

These are the cards we were dealt just like the next person who say might have severe acne, for example.
You can't compare stuttering to acne.
Acne is not a disability.
It only affects one's appearance; stuttering, on the other hand, affects one's abilities.

[grantM]

You can't compare stuttering to acne.
Acne is not a disability.
It only affects one's appearance; stuttering, on the other hand, affects one's abilities.

Actually for some people ACNE is a disability. They become shy, anti-social and are sometimes in physical pain and can leave deep physical and mental scars.

So then what is a disability? All people I think are "disabled" in some way or form. It may be simply shyness or to an extreme like tourette's.

In OZ our national Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) states:

Disability in relation to a person means:

a. Total or partial loss of a person’s bodily or mental functions; or
b. Total of partial loss of a part of the body; or
c. The presence in the body of organisms causing disease or illness; or
d. The presence in the body of organisms capable of causing disease or illness; or
e. The malfunction, malformation or disfigurement of a part of the person’s body; or
f. A disorder or malfunction that results in the person learning differently from a person without the disorder or malfunction; or
g. A disorder, illness or disease that affects a person’s thought processes, perception of reality, emotions or judgment or that results in disturbed behaviour, and includes a disability that:


1. presently exists, or
2. previously existed but no longer exists, or
3. may exist in the future, or
4. is imputed to a person.


Under the DDA ‘disability’ is purely a legal concept to which an individual must slot themselves into. Some people, including stutterers may find it hard to slot themselves into this definition. To the question of “Is a stutterer covered by the DDA”, the Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission says “YES”.

The definition of disability in the DDA includes "total or partial loss of the person's bodily or mental functions". Whatever the origins of a particular person's stuttering (neurological, psychological, or more direct physical causes), it is clear that speech is one of the things we do with our bodies and so partial loss of control of speech is covered.

Stuttering is recognized as a ‘disability’ within the framework of the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability & Health (ICF)
The following classifications unde the WHO relate directly to stuttering:
b3300 Fluency of speech
Functions of the production of smooth, uninterrupted flow of speech.
Inclusions: functions of smooth connection of speech; impairments such as stuttering, stammering, cluttering, dysfluency, repetition of sounds, words or parts of words and irregular breaks in speech

b330 Fluency and rhythm of speech functions
Functions of the production of flow and tempo of speech.
Inclusions: functions of fluency, rhythm, speed and melody of speech; prosody and intonation; impairments such as stuttering, stammering, cluttering, bradylalia and tachylalia (World Health Organization, 2001)


But having said all that I choose not to label myself to conveniently fit a legally defined term. I am not disabled. I am sometimes hampered by my speech and sometimes by my self attitude to it and how others perceive it.

I am GRANT hear me roar and I rock!

[Zachary]

I want to hear from some of the new peoples ...

:)

[jak]

I cant find any positve things about having a stutter ,it holds you back in life and makes your life alot harder then it should be.I think the worst part is trying to work and support yourself because we end up at the bottom of the economic line and we get hired last and let go first because we are thought of as lower people then others and if you dont have money you cant do anything in life,the difference is people who take drugs and do other things that destroy ther life made the choice to do it ,stuttering is not a choice

[pianoXCdude]

ya i agree with all of you. i feel like theres this cool social person inside me that only comes out when the cercumstances are right. but it's not enough to get me into the groups I want ot be in. so I always have this reminder of what my life could be like if I didn't have this flaw. evn though then again, if i didn't stutter for all I know I would be the same person and my stuttering is an defense mechanism. Idk. its frustrating.

[pianoXCdude]

Oh how long I have awaited the time and place to spill all of my fiber about this difficult topic. Regardless of how much pain stuttering has put me through, the joys of feeling empathy compensate in a way that most people will never feel. I can have friends who are "strage" and "different" but hey I am too! My best Jewish friend is made fun of but shes intelligent and misunderstood like I am. My stuttering is going away every day though so hopefully I can keep the compassionate side of me intact. We all Rock!!!!! Dont stop believin, hold onto that feelin! Dont stop believin ohohoh!