With the election coming up soon, stuttering has been a surprisingly big topic covered. And it just so happens that last Thursday, October 22, was International Stuttering Awareness Day. So, let’s talk about stutters.
Stuttering is classified as “a speech disorder that involves frequent and significant problems with normal fluency and flow of speech” (Mayo Clinic). People who stutter know what they want to say, but have difficulty saying it. For example, they may repeat or prolong a word, a syllable, or a consonant or vowel sound. Or they may pause during speech because they have reached a problematic word or sound.
Approximately 3 million Americans stutter. It affects people of all ages and is in no way an indicator of ability or intelligence, and yet people who stutter face prejudice and discrimination and are mocked for the way they speak. The misconceptions and stigma around stuttering are disproved every day by the stuttering community, and they deserve more recognition than they get.
Some common misconceptions about stuttering, as listed out by the National Stuttering Association, include:
- People stutter because they’re nervous
- People who stutter are shy and self-conscious
- People who stutter are less intelligent or capable
- Stuttering is a habit that can be broken
Needless to say, these misconceptions are simply not true. Although the causes of a stutter are not completely understood as of today, people with stutters disprove these myths on a regular basis.
People who stutter aren’t necessarily shy or self-conscious; they can definitely be assertive and outspoken, and many of them succeed in leadership positions that require talking. Some famous people that have/had stutters include Marilyn Monroe, Emily Blunt, Bo Jackson, and as we all know by now, Joe Biden. Clearly there are many people with stutters that are great in the public eye and can communicate just fine. The stuttering community has had many scientists, writers, and college professors that prove to be just as intelligent and capable as people who don’t stutter. There are people who stutter that have achieved success in every profession you can think of.
To diminish a stutter by calling it a mere habit that can be easily broken is disrespectful and offensive. It is true that the manner in which people stutter may develop in particular patterns, but the underlying cause of a stutter is not because of habit. Stuttering is a neurological condition that affects many children and can persist into their adulthood even if they work hard in changing their speech patterns.
The decision to discriminate, mock, or look down on anyone for something they can’t control is unacceptable in a society that claims to strive towards unity. Education about things like stutters come at the price of just a few minutes on trustworthy websites. So regardless of political stance, I hope we can agree that the harmful stigmas surrounding issues like stuttering need to be broken down for the sake of the people in our communities.