Sometimes Stutter
Sometimes Stutter
Sometimes Stutter
THE
by Eelco de Geus
translated by Elisabeth Versteegh-Vermeij
Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
STUTTERING FOUNDATION
To the therapist. . .
This book is written especially for children who have emotional reactions to stuttering. This may be manifested by struggle or avoidance behavior or by overt expression of negative feelings and thoughts in connection with talking. It is often difficult to assess a childs real feelings and thoughts, so observing behaviors such as struggle and avoidance may help you understand how they really feel about their speech.
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what makes you stutter why sometimes you stutter and sometimes you dont why some people have trouble understanding stuttering why sometimes you get teased about your stuttering that lots of other children stutter too that stuttering is sometimes awful and sometimes not
A number of children who stutter have written personal letters for this book There is lots to learn from what they tell us I am glad they helped me so much I have added some information for mothers and fathers grandmothers and grandfathers uncles and aunts brothers and sisters and also for school teachers This will help them understand stuttering a little better so they can react in a more helpful way
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You may choose to copy or cut out these pages from the book and address them as letters Once people have read one of these letters they may want to read the whole book and learn even more about stuttering
If you arent nine years old yet it may be hard to read all this on your own In that case please ask your mom or dad to read it with you
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Eelco de Geus
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Contents
Before you start reading this book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Stuttering is no joke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Sometimes you stutter and sometimes you dont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 What makes you stutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 It takes a special skill to stutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 When you feel angry or sad inside because you stutter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 When you get teased about your stuttering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Some people just dont understand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 It is alright to stutter! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 You are important! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Just listen to these kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Tell your own story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Who can help you ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 For brothers and sisters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 For fathers and mothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 For teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 For grandfathers and grandmothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 For uncles and aunts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Fairy tale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Last message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Where to get information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Stuttering is no joke . . .
Nobody likes to stutter When you stutter some words are hard to say Sometimes it feels like your throat is locked and you cant get on with what you wanted to say Or you repeat the first part of a word several times
When you try really hard to go on talking you may push through ; but more often trying hard just makes things worse You feel tension in your stomach and you have to do all kinds of weird things with your mouth or with your whole face to go on talking Other people can hear that you stutter and they dont know what to think of it Often they will try to help you and sometimes that will be OK But often it will only make things worse
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People who do not stutter usually find stuttering very hard to understand They want to help but they have no idea what they should do You can see it in their faces they look puzzled and a bit nervous When people get nervous they sometimes do dumb things Its not your fault Its because they know too little about stuttering So you should share this book with them Because when they understand a bit more about stuttering they will stop getting nervous And then it is you who will have helped them !
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Some children stutter a lot at school and very little at home Others are fairly fluent at school and stutter most at home Many children stutter less or not at all during vacation But many others talk more easily when they go to school every day and stutter more when on vacation Children who are tired out or sick tend to stutter more but there are also those who stutter less when they are tired or sick
Can you take all this in ? It is really hard to understand because stuttering comes and goes and seems to be changing all the time That is why people find it so hard to deal with
Every child talks in his own way One speaks slowly another rapidly Some children speak in a low voice others in a loud voice Everybody has a special way of talking and every child stutters in his or her own special way That is just as it should be Wouldnt it be boring if we were all alike?
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Lets take drawing as an example To draw well the muscles of your arm your hand and your fingers must work together easily When you have a hard time drawing a picture getting all those muscles working together is difficult for you ; it is kind of a weak point of yours It is no big deal you just need more time to make a good drawing If you try to do it quickly there is a bigger chance the picture will not come out well
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If you are not very good at something and you try to do it quickly you may get nervous And when you are nervous things get worse Especially when you are afraid of making mistakes you will be more likely to make one People who are good at drawing do not have these problems They can draw quickly even when they feel tense and they are not at all afraid of making mistakes
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
It is the same with talking Some people find it easy they never have any trouble But people who stutter have their weak point in the area of speech It may be difficult at times for your lips and tongue and throat and breathing to work together quickly and smoothly When you speak slowly or feel at ease there may be no problem ; you may talk just fine When you talk aloud to yourself or when you are singing a song or when you talk to your cat or dog you feel calm and confident and you hardly ever stutter
But when you are in a hurry and want to say something quickly or when you feel nervous talking may get harder and you may start to stutter And if you are afraid stuttering is wrong and you try hard NOT to stutter talking will become even more difficult Then you may shut your eyes or press hard or make a face to say what you want Children who are very afraid of stuttering may avoid talking altogether They dont pick up the phone finish their sentences or they may try to find words that come out more easily That isnt any fun So its much better to just let the stuttering happen and not try to stop it or hide it You will feel less nervous and the calmer you are the easier the talking will be
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
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What is your stuttering like? Look at the following list There is a circle that can be colored for each stuttering item You could color the items that go with your own special way of stuttering
Do you. . . o repeat a sound several times o repeat a word several times o block on a word o puff out some breath before talking o shut your eyes when you stutter o prolong a sound (s - s - s - s - s - s - ound) o move your head around when you stutter o move body parts when you stutter o stop talking (when you feel stuttering coming) o wait for somebody else to say things for you o try to find other words It is quite a feat to stutter, dont you think ? You might try to teach your father or mother to stutter the way you do You will be surprised how hard it is for them to get it right !
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
You would not mind being punished once in a while by your parents or your teacher But if that happened every day you would feel upset or angry or both
Grown - ups usually dont show their anger or their sorrow openly But if you observe them carefully you will notice it anyway They may be more quiet than usual or they may find fault with everything or want to be alone
Stuttering every once in a while is no big deal But if talking gets to be hard very often you may get mad Mad at your mouth Mad at the stuttering You start to hate it Perhaps talking gets so hopelessly difficult that it makes you feel sad inside Sad about your stuttering People cry when they feel sad Perhaps you were told not to act like a cry baby but to be brave and strong But stuttering can feel so bad that it is OK to cry about it Thats nothing to be ashamed of And it is quite alright to be angry at your stuttering and to hate it If you express how angry or how sad you are by shouting and stamping your feet or by having a good cry you will feel a lot better
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Perhaps you dont want other people to know about these feelings Then why dont you express them in a place where nobody can see or hear you ? But its even better to share your feelings with other people That will make things easier all around
Dont be ashamed Whatever happens do NOT start blaming yourself Because its not your fault that you stutter
Jenny is seven She sometimes dislikes her stuttering so much that she gets mad or sad For her birthday she got a doll that can move its lips She calls this doll Stutterdoll Every time she feels bad about her stuttering she goes and tells it all to her doll If she needs to cry her doll is there to keep her company For of course it is more comfortable if you dont have to cry alone
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Charles found another solution He owns a lot of toy cars When he feels bad about his stuttering, he runs these cars bang crash against each other Then he pretends the police come to ask what has happened and he tells them what makes him so mad
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
You may be teased about a big nose or giant ears About being sick a lot or about not running fast About having red hair or about being slow at math About not wearing the right clothes or about not having a bicycle
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It is pretty normal for children to tease each other sometimes But if you happen to want a bicycle very much and on top of that are teased about not owning one the teasing really hurts It is the same with stuttering When you feel bad about it yourself it really hurts to be teased about it
When you are being teased you can go to the teacher to make it stop or you can tell your mom and dad and ask them to help you But you can also do something quite different and tease back. You can always think of something
I personally think 9 - year - old Mark found the best solution Every time he gets teased he just grins and says Come back when you can stutter better than I do The children stopped teasing him right away !
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Again your mom and dad may be worried about your stuttering They want everything to be OK for you That is why they and other grown - ups and your brothers and sisters too often want to help you partly because they feel sorry for you and partly because stuttering frightens and worries them and they want it to stop just like you do
Here are some of the things that people say to help you :
first take a deep breath take it easy start over again you can do better if you really try stop and slow down now dont stutter like that think about what you want to say before you start now say it over again
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Sometimes its OK when people say these things But most often it is not You are already doing the very best you can They want you to do even better Getting on with what you want to say is difficult when you are pushed like that You might start stuttering even more Of course these people dont know they are making things harder for you instead of easier Therefore it is important to tell them about your stuttering to explain what you would really like them to do or not do Then they can be REALLY helpful
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Perhaps it is a bit difficult for you to do this on your own Just give this book to the people you regularly meet with or talk it over with your parents They can inform the other grown - ups around you
Tim is eleven years old He stutters a lot more at school than any place else His teacher did not understand why Every time Tim wanted to say something in class the teacher got very nervous and stopped him and then gave the turn to another child The teacher thought Tim would be grateful for this because it would save him from having to stutter in front of all the other children
But it was just the opposite Tim resented never getting a chance to say something in class So he talked it over with his mother and together they went to see the teacher and discussed the problem They agreed Tim would get a chance to speak any time he wanted to and that nobody would bother about the stuttering Tim enjoys going to school now
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
It is alright to stutter !
It is not against the law to have big ears Or red hair Or blond hair Or a fat nose Or expensive clothes and a brand new bike Or a small nose Neither is it against the law to stutter If YOU decide stuttering is wrong you will put more pressure on yourself not to stutter ; and we now know that this will make the stuttering worse That doesnt make anybody happy So I always say, ITS OK TO STUTTER
If you decide stuttering is alright you need not push yourself to talk better And without that pushing talking will start getting easier Just the opposite of what you may have been thinking
Lydia is ten years old She was very upset about her stuttering and she had decided she would not allow it to happen She was so hard on herself that the stuttering got worse and worse Her mom and dad agreed with me that stuttering is perfectly alright We played all kinds of games with stuttering and recently we made up this poem
Just dont splutter Go ahead and stutter ; Just be bright Stuttering is alright
We had a good laugh making that up Lydia is much happier She does not hate the stuttering as much as she used to and she speaks more easily already
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Its too bad that people often feel too shy to show they care for each other If you think you do not matter much to anybody and you feel empty inside remember that you can do something about that By remembering that you ARE important and if you think so you will feel strong If you find it hard to do this on your own ask your mom or dad or someone else you trust to help you remember
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Think of things you like to do and write them down here 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Think of things you are good at and write them down here
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. And now write down what you think other people like about you
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Reread a few times what you have put down You may think of many more things to write Remember you are important and remember that people like you because you are you You are important. DONT YOU FORGET IT !!!
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
to stutter That is why I want to write about it Every time I go to see my grandma and granddad or my uncles and aunts I stutter when I start to say something And then I stutter a lot When I have a fight with kids at school they call me stuttermouth and I hate that I dont like stuttering I think it is embarrassing and I dont like it This is the story of Anne
I dont like
Sebastian is 13 now He can explain very clearly what he thinks about stuttering : time ago I learned how to stutter more easily and for several years all went well Now I am older and my stuttering is quite bad again I have come back for therapy and I am already making progress I like the therapy sessions and thats a good thing because if you dont like to go you will probably not profit much from it
to get rid of my stuttering What makes stuttering so hard for me? When I stutter I usually get stuck There is a lot of tension in my mouth that keeps growing and then I am stuck Stuttering is no joke But then I say to myself Stuttering isnt against the law so why shouldnt I stutter a bit? And that helps
I would like
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And then I stutter a lot more When I want to say something very quickly I get stuck too Then people start guessing what I wanted to say They mean well but I dont like it at all because I want to say it myself I used to talk very quickly but I dont anymore I have learned to say to myself If you dont want to worry Dont talk in a hurry
Matthew isnt happy with all that stuttering He is 11 now and will go to middle school next year He comes to see me with another boy Each week we do all sorts of things together to make talking easier and we have a good time Having a good time makes talking easier too Matthew has written his story here :
do not like the stuttering I do but it wont kill me I know that now When I have to read out loud in class I tell myself I wont allow any stuttering But I stutter anyway and that is what I hate about it I hope I learn a lot and that it will make me happier I do not know what more to write, I hope this is enough
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Im
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
You can also send your letter on to us We would like you to do that because we learn a lot from reading the stories children who stutter have to tell And the more we learn from them the better we are able to help others
Maybe you would like to say something to one of the children who wrote their stories in this book Just write down what you want to tell or ask them and send it to us We will make sure they get your letter And if you have a lot of questions you can write to us too Perhaps you are seeing a speech therapist Of course you can ask them your questions as well If you do not want to do that or if you are not having therapy please write to us Perhaps we know some of the answers and then we will write back You can ask about anything you want Do you have our address ? You can mail your letter to :
Attn: Susie Stuttering Foundation of America P. O. Box 11749 Memphis Tennessee 38111 - 0749 U.S.A
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
They can also help your mom and dad to understand stuttering And if you have a hard time at school they can tell the teachers how to make things easier for you Some speech therapists have specialized in stuttering therapy (This may give you an idea how complicated stuttering can be ! ) Anyway if your stuttering feels like a problem ask your parents to take you to a speech therapist
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
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I have written this little book for your brother or sister who stutters Of course you know very well that they stutter You may have wanted to help when they had trouble talking What you did or said sometimes made the talking easier and sometimes it did not Why is that? Your brother or sister has less trouble talking when they feel calm inside You have probably recognized this If you have to say something in a large group you may feel excited or a bit afraid and it may be hard to find the right words all at once
You are lucky enough not to stutter in such a situation Your brothers or sisters speech is more easily disrupted by excitement worry or time pressures and then they often stutter A lot of things can make you excited or worried
An upcoming birthday party School reports that are due The family is about to pack up for vacation Worry / anxiousness about not being good enough at you name it ! Feeling sick Being in a hurry Thinking other children dont like you Being afraid of making mistakes
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These are things that can make all of us excited or worried and then we feel tension inside But not everybody lets on about these inner tensions The trouble is that tension always shows up with stuttering Everybody notices it And because your brother or sister doesnt want it to be noticed they will try to stop the stuttering or hide it as best they can And you know what happens next ? They will
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get more uptight and. . . the stuttering will get worse It is quite normal to be excited or worried and uptight It happens to all of us to you and to me But we dont like to admit it We often think we should naturally be good at everything we do It stands to reason nobody can be good at EVERYTHING ! But all the same people dont like making mistakes and that makes them uptight when they have to do something difficult
Because talking is easy for almost everybody it is hard to believe that some children have serious trouble talking As soon as there is some tension around having to talk makes them stutter You have to do things that make you uptight too so whats wrong with getting uptight about talking ?
If you accept stuttering as something that is perfectly OK with you your brother or sister will not feel criticized or set apart the level of tension will drop and they will not try to hide or stop the stuttering And that will make talking a lot easier It is most helpful for them to feel you have some idea of the problem Thank you for helping in this way
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
, . . .
I know you do the best you can to help your child talk more easily You must be aware of your childs worry and discomfort Your child will try not to stutter But the harder he tries the worse the stuttering is apt to get This is what makes stuttering such a difficult problem
It is li ke wanting to thread a needle If you are determined to succeed the first time you try your fingers will get tense your hand will start to tremble and of course this will make it more difficult to get the thread through You will succeed when you relax and allow yourself to feel calm and self confident when you allow yourself to be imperfect
You probably make remarks about your child s stuttering from time to time It is understandable for you to want to help Perhaps you dont find it easy to li sten to the stuttering and would li ke it to stop When you say or do something to help your child you should observe carefully If your help results in his becoming more relaxed and calm you will be doing the right thing His talking will get easier too
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It is quite possible your child does not want to be helped when talking Then it is no use trying to do so. He or she will only get more tense (Maybe because he gets the message that he is not allowed to be imperfect ?) Think of the needle and thread The more the child tenses up the harder it will be for the words to come through Better than any stranger parents know whether their child is tense or relaxed That is why we ask for your help Because you know your child best and can guage his or her feelings you give the most valuable support of all
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
It is important to state that parents behavior never is the cause of stuttering Your child was born with a hereditary tendency to stutter This means the area of speech is a weak point in his general make up Stuttering manifests itself when demands (in whatever area of life) become too heavy This stuttering is harmless in itself But if your child thinks others do not like his stuttering he will try to talk better and to hide or stop the stuttering That makes the stuttering worse and it is the reason he still suffers because of it
So remember you are not the cause of your childs stuttering but you are the nearest and best supporters on his road to talking more easily Your child may feel angry as well as hurt and discouraged because of his speech problem What he needs most are parents who allow him to be resentful or sad about it and who show they understand
Perhaps your child does not yet have the courage to discuss it with you But he or she does need to feel your tacit permission to do so From time to time you may offhandedly ask what he thinks or feels about his stuttering Make sure the child feels free not to take up the subject if he is not ready to do so You may be very worried about your childs future Share your worries with each other and also with a speech therapist It is important for you as well as for your child not to go on worrying So try to find competent help soon
Stuttering manifests itself in so many different shapes and sizes that I can give no more than this general advice Possibly your child is seldom or never tense, and you may find little of what I have said applicable But if you feel worried and anxious just the same do not hesitate to seek the help you and your child are entitled to
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
For schoolteachers
Dear Teacher
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You are asked to read this because you have a child in your class who stutters Stuttering changes from moment to moment and is different in each child That makes it difficult to deal with. Quite possibly the stuttering of this particular child is no problem for you or for any of the other children But it is also possible that the other children react to the stuttering and that you yourself are not always sure how best to handle the problem
Teachers usually have a lot of questions can I be of any help? should I make the child read aloud ? should I talk about the stuttering with the child ? should I discuss it with the whole class ? should I ignore the stuttering altogether ? should I look straight at the child when he stutters or is it better to look away ? These are all legitimate questions The answers differ for each child who stutters You could begin by asking if the child has speech therapy and if so contact the therapist about what you can or should do It has often been possible to make a plan by which the child is effectively helped to cope with the school situation
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Most children hate to be set apart marked as different from the others So be sure the child
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
who stutters does not get special privileges or is excluded from any class activity If the stuttering is severe it is advisable to take the child aside and tackle the issue openly Some children will appreciate this and feel relieved Others will refuse to discuss the problem Its best to respect this and not force the child
Stuttering is just as hard for the child as it is for you well probably harder So he or she needs all the emotional support they can get You will help the child by accepting him as he is and by being warm understanding and supportive in your attitude towards him or her You wont have to show this openly the child will be aware of it and feel more safe Thank you for your help
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
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Your grandchild needs your understanding and support because he has a serious problem He has difficulty talking and sometimes stutters a lot You probably find this hard to understand ; most people do One day your grandchild has hardly any difficulties another day the stuttering is very prominent and hard to cope with Please do not think your grandchild can do anything about it Stuttering is a phenomenon that changes from day to day according to external circumstances and your grandchild may not have power to modify his speech
His visit to you may be connected with pleasurable excitement and any kind of excitement can elicit stuttering So it is quite possible your grandchild stutters a lot when he is with you We ask you to understand this and we hope you will be supportive by not making remarks about the way he expresses himself If you do the child will feel pressured to talk better That will make him more tense and so increase rather than lessen the severity of the stuttering
It may be hard for a child to repeat what he has just said because others have not understood it Stuttering may make your grandchild less easy to understand especially if your hearing is not what it used to be Then he may have to repeat the same words several times Many youngsters find this very embarrassing
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
I do not mean to say that you should not ask the child to repeat anything It is important for you to have real contact But you can make things easier by paying attention to details like good lighting so you can see each other clearly and have the child right next to you so you can hear better If the radio or TV is on or the vacuum cleaner going somewhere you might consider turning them off when you plan to talk together These details are important in making things pleasant for both of you
Everything runs more smoothly when we feel relaxed and this is certainly true for your grandchilds speech We can relax when we feel safe and at ease You might consider other means to help your grandchild feel that way when he or she is with you like giving him a big hug now and again to show your appreciation by remembering to play his or her favorite game or by having small outings together On behalf of your grandchild I want to thank you for the support you give
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
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Your nephew or niece is bothered by stuttering You may have wondered about the fact that the stuttering is so variable and very noticeable one day nothing special the next You may have observed that the childs speech does not really improve when you try to help by giving advice This is part of the stuttering problem We would like to ask you to just accept what happens Your nephew or niece does not understand what exactly makes the stuttering increase or lessen and doesnt as yet have the power to change their way of talking We know that it is important to give the child who stutters emotional support A warm and understanding attitude will do more to lessen stuttering than critical though well intentioned remarks It is also important to allow for extra time in the give and take of conversation The child will feel more at ease and this will make talking less stressful
It is alright to talk openly about stuttering when the occasion arises If no one ever mentions it the child may get the impression stuttering is so awful it cannot even be discussed If it is treated like a taboo the child will be convinced it is very bad to stutter That idea will generate a lot of tension and thus lead to more stuttering You can help your nephew or niece by keeping everything around them fairly quiet by taking ample time when you want to talk together by choosing a place where others wont rush in
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
unexpectedly and by keeping eye contact while talking Of course this is not possible every time you meet but anything in this direction is helpful
It will be especially helpful for them to know that you yourself are interested in the problem of stuttering and want to know more about it They will feel less alone Thank you for wanting to help
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Fairy tale
Once upon a time there was a boy named Tim who lived in a far away country in a large house The people he lived with were a sorcerer and a witch who had stolen him from his parents when he was a tiny child Nobody knew about them because they had disguised themselves as a very rich and proud couple To make the disguise more complete they had this little boy who had to call them Father and Mother
They were extremely strict and demanded perfection from poor Tim He was dressed in the very best clothes and was expected to be polite to everyone he met He had a brand new bike but was not allowed to ride it because it might get dirty When people came to the house, they exclaimed about Tims beautiful room full of the most exciting toys But of course this was all show Tim was not really allowed to play with the toys because something might get broken And of course he could never take other children home with him because they might damage the expensive furniture or his clothes might get out of order
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
You will guess he had no friends at school and he was often teased by the other kids And when visitors came he was not allowed to open his mouth because he stuttered His father and mother did not want other people to know their son was not perfect As you can imagine Tim was very unhappy He thought he did everything wrong ; he was sure nobody liked him Sometimes he got angry about it and sometimes he felt so lonely and sad that he cried himself to sleep He tried very hard to do everything the way his father and mother wanted but inside he grew more and more unhappy.
Then one day a little crooked man came along and waited for Tim outside the gate of the great house He told Tim what we already know that he had been stolen by a witch and a sorcerer He also told Tim that his real parents had been looking for him ever since But lately they had given up all hope of finding their dear child and had returned home And then the old man told Tim that if he had the courage to start out on his own on a long journey he would find his real father and mother who had never stopped loving him and longing for him
Tim decided at once to go and find them He had had enough of being lonely and unhappy He grabbed a suitcase and put his best clothes in it and started on his way It was a terribly long journey He had to cross dangerous bogs ; he had to climb mountains and wander through wild woods But every time he needed food or shelter he could find what he wanted as if some invisible person was guiding him
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One day he came to a village that he seemed to remember from long long ago His heart started beating with sudden hope and he asked the first person he met if he knew where his parents lived ? The young man who answered him stuttered and when Tim continued on his way he heard other people stuttering too Soon he was at the door of his old home What a grand surprise it was to his parents to see their son That same night they gave a big party in his honor They had yummy things to eat and everybody was jolly When he finally got to bed he felt very very happy
The next morning he put on his good clothes and was extremely polite to everybody He sat quietly in a corner and never touched anything because he had been taught not to do so His mom and dad were surprised and anxious about his behavior They asked Why are you so carefully dressed and why do you sit in a corner ? And why dont you go out and play ? And why dont you talk with anybody ?
Then Tim told them everything about his life in the big house in that far away country And his mom and dad said Now all that is over You can enjoy yourself and do the things you like to do And when your clothes get dirty we dont mind at all and you can say what you want and talk to everybody And you do not have to speak carefully because in this country everybody stutters as much as they please
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Tim was so happy to hear this that he jumped up and down for joy He rushed out of the house and ran and played and talked as he had never done before And that night there was another big party because this time Tim truly had come home And Tim lived long and happily ever after !
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
Last message
Stuttering is no joke ! So its important to know you are not alone There are people who understand you and are willing to help you It is also important to know that you are not to blame For your father and mother and all the other people around you it is important to learn about stuttering The more they know the better they will understand what happens and the better they will be able to help you Then you will feel certain that it is alright that you are you whether you stutter or not
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
If you believe this book has helped or you wish to help this worthwhile cause, please send a donation to
Stu tte r in g Fo u n d a ti o n o f A m e r ic a P. O. B ox 1 1 7 4 9 M e m p h i s, Te n n e s s e e 3 8 1 1 1- 0 7 4 9
C o n tr i b u ti o n s a r e ta x d e d u c ti b l e . O r d o n a te o n l in e a t w w w. s tu tte r in g h e l p.o r g
The Stuttering Fou ndation of America is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of stuttering.
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Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
These myth busters are from the flyer Myths About Stuttering, which can be downloaded at www.stutteringhelp.org, click on Brochures for all ages.
THE
STUTTERING FOUNDATION
800-992-9392
www.stutteringhelp.org
Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
www.tartamudez.org
THE
STUTTERING FOUNDATION
800-992-9392
www.stutteringhelp.org
www.tartamudez.org
ISBN 0-933388-42-X
ISBN 0-933388-42-X
Copyright 2011 by the Stuttering Foundation
780933 388420