Johannesburg - Daniel* can't remember how old he was when he realised he spoke differently from other children.
While his peers articulated their thoughts clearly and freely, Daniel couldn't finish a sentence without stuttering.
As he got older, he started to suffer from low self-esteem. He withdrew, only speaking when necessary.
School wasn't easy. He dreaded orals because he knew that struggling to express himself in front of the class would only bring him shame.
“They would laugh even before I spoke,” he said. “When I'm angry, I can't even get the words out. I can't talk, that is why I just leave because I feel like I want to strangle that person.”
According to Dina Lilian, a speech therapist and audiologist, stuttering is characterised by disruptions in the forward flow of speech such as the repetition of parts of words like “mi-mi-mi-miss” and prolongations of sounds like “sssssseven”.
It is also characterised by complete blockages of sound where no sound is emitted and only a strangled sound emerges, and the stutter may be accompanied by physical tension or a struggle.
As the stutterer battles to get the words out, they may blink, grimace, avoid eye contact, cough or tap their foot, she said.
Lilian, who runs the Stuttering Clinic at the Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Joburg, said there were no definitive answers to the causes of stuttering despite continuing research, and almost all people who stutter experience periods of fluency.
“Most people who stutter speak fluently when they are alone, when they speak in unison, when they whisper and when they sing.
“Stuttering does not affect any particular social group. It does not strike only at the exceptionally gifted or the academically challenged.
“Children who stutter are, as a group, no less intellectually, academically or emotional well-functioning than their peers,” she said.
Daniel has learnt to manage his stutter by speaking slowly. And if the word he wants to use won't come out, he uses an alternative one.
His stuttering and the subsequent humiliation he suffered didn't stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a journalist.
While in his final year at university, he was employed at a local newspaper as a sports writer.
Shortly afterwards, he was offered a job as a field reporter at a community radio station, but his stutter was an impediment to doing his job well.
“I would need an hour to file a story my colleagues would have filed in a few minutes.”
So, after graduating, Daniel became a media liaison officer. His job entailed liaising with journalists, but he didn't give interviews.
Today, however, he is a spokesman for a government department and is forced to give live interviews on radio and TV.
Daniel was worried about his stutter but he said he accepted the job because the people around him believed in him.
Although he tries his best to control his stutter, it recurs when he least expects it.
One such crucial moment was when he was doing a live interview with Tim Modise on PowerFM recently.
“I wanted to use the word 'conspiracy' and I could feel that it wasn't coming out. I wasn't going to keep saying 'co-co-co' on live radio; so I had to find another a longer way of saying that sentence.”
A few days earlier, however, Daniel had done a radio interview which he said was the worst in his career.
Now that he knows there is therapy available, Daniel is considering it.
“Not only because of my job; I need to improve my speech,” he said.
*Not his real name.
It may not heal, but therapy can help
According to speech therapist and audiologist Dina Lilian, many people are not aware of the potential emotional impact of stuttering and the fear and anxiety a pupil may experience due to it.
She said school could be stressful at times for any child, but for one who is afraid to read aloud, to speak, to give an answer, to act in a play or even to talk at break, the experience can expose one to ridicule and isolation.
“During adulthood, stuttering may affect the person's everyday life as one may avoid using the telephone, meeting or talking to new people. It may also affect their choice of career or even ordering food at a restaurant.
“For some individuals, these fears and anxieties around talking are more disabling than their physical stuttering. Feelings that adults who stutter describe include frustration, embarrassment, helplessness and isolation.”
Lilian said people who stutter are no more likely to have psychological or emotional problems than people who don't stutter, but stuttering may cause psychological anxieties.
She also believes an adult needs to be ready for therapy because treatment isn't easy.
“Some people only seek treatment at an older age when they realise the impact their stuttering is having on their social lives or careers. An example may be that the person could be avoiding giving presentations at work and therefore limiting their career opportunities, or they may not be talking at parties, thus limiting their opportunity to meet people.”
Lilian said stuttering can be addressed at any age but that early intervention was best so the child who stutters doesn't develop any negative feelings about speaking. Her youngest patient was two years old while the oldest was 70.
Among Lilian's patients is Graham Klawansky, a 25-year-old accounts executive from Greenside.
When he was young, Klawansky's stutter was so bad, he could barely speak.
His parents took him for therapy but that didn't help. He believes the reason he never improved was because the therapists at the time didn't know much about stuttering.
“My stutter was so severe that when other pupils did their oral in class, I did mine privately. If it was a two-minute speech, I would need eight minutes,” he said.
Three years ago, he heard of Lilian through an organisation called Speakeasy.
He has been her patient since then, and he said the difference was unbelievable.
“There are still days when I am unable to communicate, but I have learnt to control it.”
Klawansky said it was hard to tell how long he would be in therapy for, and he'd probably always stutter.
Due to the fact that Klawansky is able to communicate better thanks to therapy, he said other stutterers need to realise there is help, and they should seek it out.
“With the right help you can control it,” he said.
For more information, email Lilian at [email protected]. You can also visit www.speakeasy.org.za
The Star