| As I grew up from a young boy to a man I had | | | | just have no idea as to what life is like for people |
| something shackling me. It was stopping me from | | | | who have a stutter or stammer. The question |
| fulfilling my potential, it was eroding my | | | | that I have is why I do people stutter?" |
| self-confidence and my self-esteem and to put it | | | | "That is a great question Steve and is one that I |
| quite bluntly it was ruining my life. I had a stutter | | | | will look into." |
| and boy did it frustrate the hell out of me. | | | | My mum found out the following: |
| At the age of fifteen I had had a particularly bad | | | | 1. A young child can pick it up from a family |
| day at school and when I arrived back home I | | | | member or family friend that has a stutter. |
| had the following conversation with my mother: | | | | 2. It can develop due to a shock reaction. |
| "Mom I have just about had enough. I could hardly | | | | 3. Some people believe it can develop due to your |
| say a word today in the French lesson - people | | | | genetic make up. |
| were laughing at me - it was just so | | | | 4. People start to stutter after being abused. |
| embarrassing." | | | | This still did not help me to understand why I had |
| "Steve, I am not sure what to suggest. You have | | | | a stutter as I did not fit into any of these |
| been attending different forms of speech and | | | | categories! I will add a number five - being overtly |
| language therapy for the last eleven years but it | | | | shy as a child and not wanting to speak or |
| does not seem to be working." | | | | socialise for whatever reason. |
| "I know mum - I have tried my best but they | | | | |