Publish date: 22 October 2021
International Stammering Awareness Day takes place on 22 October. It is a day when stammering associations, individuals and groups around the world organise events to mark the day and to raise awareness of stammering.
To celebrate International Stammering Awareness Day, The Ealing Speech and Language Therapy team (part of Ealing Community Partners) have created a short video to raise awareness about stammering including some invaluable tips on how to support people who stammer.
Azra Hassanali, Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist: "Our speech and language therapists specialise in assessing, diagnosing and treating you if you have a communication or swallowing disorder. We aim to give you the best possible function, independence and quality of life by providing you with tailored treatment programmes, advice and education".
To view the video, click on the YouTube link.
Follow our Speech and Language Therapy team’s Facebook page for posts about various speech conditions that impact children and adults.
To mark International Stammering Awareness day,17 year old Shula talks about her experience of stammering and receiving Speech & Language Therapy support from the Ealing Early Years SLT Team:
My earliest memory of stammering was in our Year 2 Harvest assembly. Some children next to me were talking while the teacher was talking so I turned to them to ask them to stop but I just couldn’t get the words out. It was the most painful 10 seconds of my life. I felt humiliated that I couldn’t say a simple sentence. They looked at me like ‘What is she trying to say?’ I felt a sense of dread and felt terrible about myself. That experience made me dread public speaking and that’s a big deal in High School so in later years I thought, ‘I can’t do this, I can’t go to High School. I can’t do Public speaking. I can’t say a simple sentence. How will I say even a paragraph?’ In Primary School I loved acting and drama but I’d never put myself forward for auditions. I couldn’t concede the fact that so many people would rely on me speaking clearly and I just couldn’t. But after therapy, I’ve accepted my stammer. I don’t care anymore. I’m going to do what I want. I still stammer but I just get on and communicate what I want to without making a big deal of it in my head. I don’t care about the stammer as much as I used to. I’ve come a long way since those older days. I don’t chicken out on opportunities anymore. Instead of hiding behind my papers, I put my hand up, offer to speak in debates and read aloud. By taking initiative to have courage and put myself out there, I’ve realised I am more than my stammer Therapy has encouraged me and supported me the whole way and always will.”