1.) No, we don’t forget our name.
When someone asks for our names, we may take a few seconds to think of a way to say it without stuttering, or just jump right in and take 3o seconds to say it because we’re stuttering. No matter weird you may think we’re being, we never forgot our names. And that joke got old a long time ago.
2.) We can speak for ourselves.
We know you’re trying to finish our sentences for us with ‘good intentions,’ but unless we’ve told you it’s okay — we’d rather you not. You, a person with fluid speech, do not like being interrupted when you’re trying to tell a story —and people who stutter feel the same way. It doesn’t help our self esteem when we feel like we’re incapable of speaking for ourselves.
3.) Stuttering when you’re nervous and having a stuttering disorder aren’t the same thing.
Sure, you might trip over your words when you’re presenting in class, but please understand that it isn’t the same as stuttering throughout most of your life (I have about 10 years of stuttering down so far.) Telling us to ‘just calm down’ doesn’t help because we aren’t stuttering because we’re nervous. The best thing you can do when holding a conversation with someone who stutters, is be quiet, and understanding. We know you expect the same thing from us when you’re talking.
4.) Imitating our stutter isn’t funny.
You might think it’s funny to respond to something we say with “Wha-Wha-Wha-What?” but it’s not. Making us feel like the butt of a joke over something we can’t control is insulting, not an icebreaker. This goes for people with other speech impediments, such as lisps, too.
5.) We are capable.
Our stutter does not define our intelligence. The stuttering community has its share of scientists, doctors, writers, and just about every occupation. We may struggle to talk, but we can think just fine. If anything, we think too much — our brain often moves faster than our mouths.
Comments are closed.