Figure of speech
People from 73 countries visited the website http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad10/isadcon10.html and participated in this year’s worldwide online conference which began on October 1, 1998.

The International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD) signaled the end of the conference on October 22. The purpose was ‘to promote awareness and understanding and to show appreciation for people who stammer (PWS) and the speech language professionals who work with them.’

Stammering is a misunderstood speech disorder. It affects one per cent of the world’s population (about 60 million) in their professional, social and personal lives.

Speech is one of the most important means for communication. Written language may be better at times in conveying the content of messages, but spoken language conveys content and includes information about the speaker’s intent, emotions, personality and perception. For many PWS daily communication is a constant struggle.

For many PWS speech does not open doors but closes them for professional development, academic and interpersonal fulfillment. PWS use avoidance mechanisms in an effort to cope and spend most of their lives trying to hide their stammer because of feelings of hidden negative emotions. Avoidance can include specific letters or words, situations and, where possible, talking (in any language) or socialising.

If we want a Lemonade drink, we might have to ask for Coke. We learn avoidance strategies in school (missing a class, having a bad cold to avoid speaking). It continues with job interviews and phone calls that can be a private nightmare. So we might rush to the bathroom every time the phone rang. We always try, but never succeed, to be a different person, a fluent speaker. Our hidden negative emotions grow with every ‘failure’ to be ‘fluent’. The negative emotions include embarrassment, frustration, fear, confusion and guilt. The causes of stammering are still under research but may involve psychological, neurobiological, genetic, and /or environmental issues.

There are an estimated 1.6 Million PWS in Pakistan. What can be done to help them? There are a variety of ways to help preschool children; pre teen children; teenagers; young adults and adults. There are ways that have been developed in other countries that can be used here in Pakistan. PWS are not alone.

There is no need to feel guilt or shame. There are many Self Help Groups (SHG) around the world that help PWS to understand this. Some of us are starting similar SHGs for PWS in Pakistan. We want to form our own National Stammering Association of Pakistan and to have a National Conference early in 2008. A small team from the International Stuttering Association (ISA) will come to talk to stammerers/professional therapists/parents of children who stammer/and to many of the groups of people who meet and talk to stammerers. If you’re interested please visit www.pakistanstammering.org and e-mail us.