innershine-blog1 - Tumblr blog

[innershine-blog1]

Kendrick Lamar, B.B. King & MORE!!  

Who would’ve thunk?  There are more stutterers than I knew! 

[innershine-blog1]

Guess who also stutters?  

I bet there’s a few on this list that you wouldn’t even have guessed are stutterers! 

[innershine-blog1]

Here’s another fascinating article examining the stuttering tendencies of five people with basal ganglia injuries.  

“Stuttering is mostly a developmental phenomenon: it appears as a child learns to produce language. Sometimes, acquired stuttering occurs in adults with no childhood history of speech disorders ( Helm-Estabrooks, Yeo, Geschwind, Freeman, & Weinstein, 1986). Acquired stuttering has various causes. Its different varieties (Van Borsel, 1997) can be psychogenic, or can arise from drug addiction or other causes. However, the most common cause of acquired stuttering is brain lesion (Helm-Estabrooks et al., 1986). Acquired stuttering of this type is known as neurogenic stuttering.”

The above is an excerpt from an article that can be found at:  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094730X10001063? 

[innershine-blog1]

Life threw him a curve ball!

A sports injury caused damaged nerves in Drew’s vocal folds. This forever altered the course of his life, as he went from a fluent speaker to a person who stutters.

Drew is absolutely HILARIOUS!! As this clip shows, he’s definitely got talent!

***This video can be found at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ERf6cUa_1k

[innershine-blog1]

Yes, stuttering is something that we are born with.  But did you know that it can also be caused by a neurological injury?  

A traumatic brain injury can rob you of some of your abilities that we so easily take for granted today.  

Our body and all of its wonders are a result of our beautiful brains.  Let’s pretend that our brain is like one big puzzle & each puzzle piece corresponds to a body part and its ability.

What if one puzzle piece was injured, torn apart in an accident that happened in the blink of an eye?  That ability would never be the same.  Can you imagine what that could look like?!  

(Stay tuned...as the next post will show what this lifelong curveball can look like)

***This article can be found at:  http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=ea5ef7e7-7142-4a71-b9d1-c5395cdca691%40sessionmgr4007&hid=4110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=109311341&db=a2h

[innershine-blog1]

Remember this?!  Did you pick up on his stutter back then?! :)

***Video can be found at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO_Nk1-rYT8

[innershine-blog1]

Having finally found NSA a few years ago, I felt as if I’d discovered a long lost secret tribe of people!  

Since we’re 1 out of 100 people, we most likely go through our lives being the only person in the room who stutters.

But what if you could find a room FULL OF PEOPLE WHO STUTTER?  I found that in my Tampa, FL  Chapter of NSA members.  I was so enthralled at this alternate universe that I dove right in!

Summer of 2016, I went to my first NSA conference.  So not only was this a room full of stutterers, it was THOUSANDS!  As luck would have it, the conference was International that year!!!  What that boiled down to was hearing stuttering from all corners of the globe, in all different languages!!!  (insert drool & heart emoji here!) Finally, I was surrounded by people who understood my journey.

This was one of the best experiences in my life and if you haven’t found your local chapter, please do.  If you don’t have one nearby, I’ll help you start one!  

[innershine-blog1]

undefined

Have you heard or said this before?

[innershine-blog1]

It’s no surprise that social media impacts our day-to-day lives.  Whether via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Tumblr, our lives are more showcased today then the privacy of our mundane lives years ago.

Social media has given a platform to people who stutter.  It’s given PWS an opportunity of interaction without fear of negative consequences.

Sidenote: is this ‘protective shield’ a positive thing?  Or will it enable PWS? Think about it....

Check out this interesting study to see what results indicate!!

***The study can be found at: 

 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094730X16300262

[innershine-blog1]

undefined

CULTURAL SCENARIO #3

BEHIND THE SCENES INFO:  This girl was a little reluctant to be filmed, stating that her English isn’t good.  I wrote down “mine either!”  After all, the goal was to view her reaction to stuttering!

Can you find any micro-expressions relating to impatience, surprise, awkwardness, etc?!  I can... lets see what you see because after all, my heightened awareness to listener reactions may be biased due to past experiences.  

She goes on to mention that her father stutters, kinda.. but then she negates that with a head nod of “no, I’m kidding”.  My fellow stutterers, I know we’ve all been through the disclaimer of telling people that you stutter and they say “Me too.. I get slipped up all the time”.. UM NO YOU DON’T!  I can appreciate their trying to be empathetic, but no thanks. I digress..

Can you spot her feelings beyond her words?  Did you catch any micro-expressions?

[innershine-blog1]

undefined

CULTURAL SCENARIO #2

Behind the scenes info: I wrote down “Can I record a brief video of us talking?” Of course, I couldn’t come out & say it in my mild stutter and then start severely stuttering.  Nor did I want to start severely stuttering & not capture her initial reaction, so I wrote down my request / obtained permission.

What the video didn’t capture was that she said she had a friend who stuttered.  Familiarity breeds comfort & knowledge (as studies have found) so this person may have seemed comfortable around stuttering because she’d already been exposed to it in the past.

[innershine-blog1]

undefined

CULTURAL SCENARIO #1:

I approached a series of random strangers at University of South Florida’s Library & this is what happened.

Although this person seemed genuinely patient, like my words were worth waiting for, I’ve become attuned to body language that might say otherwise.

Can you pick up on any micro-expressions of impatience, curiosity or just other thoughts in general? Or was this listener truly a rockstar?

[innershine-blog1]

DO YOU REMEMBER THIS?!?! 

At the end of every Looney Tunes cartoon I watched as a kid, I was subtly reminded that I wasn’t alone.

Not that I aspired to be like Porky Pig, but it was cool nonetheless! 

***Video can be found on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqbiSrei8A0

[innershine-blog1]

“A highway patrol police officer stops a car that was speeding. The officer asks the driver questions about the speeding offense. The driver hesitates, grimaces, and blinks, before responding with halting speech. The officer may interpret this pattern of responding as a sign that the driver is under the influence of a substance, has a psychological impairment, is resistant to cooperate with authorities, is attempting to hide something, or any combination of the above (McCullough, 2013). However, the officer may not realize that this behavior is the result of stuttering. Although there is preliminary evidence that people who work in protective services such as law enforcement exhibit less helpful behavioral and more negative affective intended reactions toward people who stutter (PWS) than average (Beste-Guldborg, St. Louis, & Campanale, 2015),1 this question has received little scholarly attention. Considering the crucial role that protective services workers have in ensuring the safety of the public, and the impact that negative encounters with protective services workers may have on safety and quality of life for PWS, intended reactions of protective services workers toward PWS warrant further empirical study. “

This above is an excerpt from an article titled Reactions of Protective Service Workers Towards People Who Stutter, found in the Journal of Fluency Disorders.

Study results reveal that protective services workers have more negative reactions towards people who stutter, as oppose to non-protective service workers?  Do you see a problem with this?!!

This scenario and many other like it that occur everyday around the globe means that there is ignorance when it comes to speech impediments like stuttering and an overall lack of education.  What does this mean for people who stutter?  This means that an innocent person can get pulled over for something as simple as a broken taillight > they will most likely stutter if they’re a person who stutters > the police officer is likely to be suspicious as mainstream knowledge has suggested that stuttering can be a sign of lying > and the person who stutters is left holding the bag.

Society needs to be educated that people who stutter are normal people too!  What can we do to change this image that history and media has created regarding people that stutter?!  The difference starts with you.

"YOU MUST BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD” 

-GHANDI

 Don’t believe me about mainstream media’s interpretation of what stuttering means?  Check out my next posts and you’ll see what I’m talking about :)

 **This article can be found at:  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094730X16300328

http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2016.08.001

[innershine-blog1]

Let me get this straight... so the more you inform yourself about the realities and myths of people who stutter, the more likely you are to have accurate beliefs of people who stutter?!  

UH... DUH!!!

As with anything in life, the more you know, the more you grow.  We are only human so it’s safe to assume that we don’t know everything.  That being said, it’s only natural for us to be caught off guard when we encounter something or someone who is different than what we’re accustomed to.  

Furthermore, it’s only natural that we tend to form opinions about people, based on those encounters and our foundation of knowledge.

Become informed.  Build your foundation.  Not only about people who stutter.  Expand your horizons and see whats out there. Surprise yourself! 

***This article can be found at:  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094730X15000923

[innershine-blog1]

THE LYRICS TO THIS SONG ARE AS FOLLOWS:

“Baby don't go, baby don't go, baby don't go. Talk to me, tell me, where you were (late last night), You told me, with yer friends, hanging out (late last night), You lying, cuz you stuttering, now where were you (late last night), Stop lying to me, cuz you're ticking me off, see you're ticking me off, oh girl. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. I called you, on your cell phone, no answer (tell me why). So I paged you, on your two-way, still no response (tell me why). I took care of you, I loved you, and you played me (tell me why). Stop lying to me about where you been, Cuz you're ticking me off, ticking me off. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. It's funny to me, when you lie to me, You start stuttering, tripping, I caught you, baby. It's funny to me, when you lie to me, You start stuttering, tripping, I caught you, baby. I smell cologne, damn it's strong, How'd you get it on (I'm not done). He messed up your hair, makeup's everywhere. Oh yeah, (I'm not done). Girl you're crying cuz you're lying to my face (I'm not done). Stop lying, about sentiment, Cuz you're ticking me off. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. I can tell you're lying, because when you're replying, Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters. Why did I? You should know by now. I gotta know baby, I just can't keep going on girl. Oh, get on baby, no love from you. I hear you lying, I hear you, Stuttering, stuttering, stuttering, stuttering, stutter, stuttering. Oh girl, you should leave me alone, Get the hell on.”

Granted, this video may depict actual infidelity but the writers of this song thought that the best way to portray the message of infidelity was thorough a chorus regarding stuttered speech. When this song came out, I was in 8th grade.  Imagine how disturbed I was when this song hit top 20 and my speech was not anywhere near what it is today.  As I struggled to make friends, I stuttered and I couldn’t hide it.  Meanwhile, this song played on every station.  “I can tell you’re lying, because when you’re replying. Stutter, stutters, stutter, stutters”.... Gee, thanks Joe.  I still love you though :) <3  

Yes, I listen to all kinds of music, including R&B

***Video can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGY_Qqr2Lm0

***Lyrics can be found at:  http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/joe/stutter.html

[innershine-blog1]

undefined

Can you juggle with 2 balls?  How about with 3 or 4 balls?  If you can’t juggle, no worries, I can’t either.  But can you imagine what it would be like if your speech was always similar to a juggling act?

Glenn Weybright, M.S., CCC-SLP, BRS-FD is a speech pathologist who is also a person who stutters.  I really enjoyed watching his analogy.  Although his example shows only two balls, the extra balls that a stutterer has to juggle might consist of past experiences, emotional aspects regarding the anticipation of stuttering, listener reactions and more.  At this point, a person who stutters is engaging in a normal, everyday conversation while juggling multiple balls!!

So the next time you’re caught off guard or your perception of a person who stutters is starting to form, try to imagine the chaos within their brain and the effort that they are making just to speak to you....  

***This video was retrieved from MasterClinician.org at masterclinician.org/videos/watch/54398754