Stammering in a multi-racial society
Members' Survey

Teenage BSA member REZA CHOUDHURY recently [1995] surveyed other members from ethnic minorities to explore how this dimension might affect stammering.

During the course of my research for this article, I received letters which testified to the distress caused to stammerers by the inadvertent ignorance or prejudice of those surrounding them. Among the general problems that were emphasised by my correspondents were the attitudes of the stammerers' immediate family. One correspondent stated that she was compelled to comply with instructions to remain silent and permit others to speak for her. A second correspondent described how her family considered stammering as a "defect". As a consequence, the stammerer's acceptance of their dysfluency was hindered and their self-confidence and esteem debilitated.

In the sphere of learning, recent research has indicated that pupils who are already bilingual are more adept at learning subsequent languages than monolingual pupils. However, in the case of one correspondent stammering interfered with the learning process. A classic examnple that the correspondent provided was the way in which attention was concentrated upon the stammer rather than the language: "It is harder because my attention is focussed on my stammer rather than on the language". This was compounded by the tendency of teachers to neglect the correspondent on account of stammering; "At school and college, I did notice teachers tended to pay less attention to me".

Inherent in racial prejudice against ethnic minorities is a tendency to view the members of those minorities as inferior. One correspondent described how the attribute of stammering was readily identified by persecutors as a sign of deficiency rendering him vulnerable to ridicule. However, the correspondent emphasised that stammering was used as an excuse which masked the real intention to be racially abusive: "If someone is uncomfortable with my ethnicity, they may look for deficiencies. If my speech has been particularly bad, it stands out".

In these circumstances therapy seeks to reverse the effects of discrimination and misrepresentation from the society at large. The effective therapist recognises the stammerer as an intelligent individual capable of taking responsibility for the conduct of his/her life. This reverses the stigma that the stammerer has experienced in the wider community.

The therapist equips the stammerer with knowledge regarding speech dysfluency, for example the fact that 5% of children at some stage in their lives and 1% of adults are stammerers in the population overall (regardless of race, colour etc) and information concerning the origin of stammering. A correspondent expresses: "I was part of a support group which met weekly. For the first time I became aware that stammering was a common phenomenon, and that many of them were worse than I was. Within the first meetings I learned to understand my stammer and then to accept it. Reading the BSA publications seemed to give the problems that stammerers face, national concern and recognition.

Patently, the attitudes conveyed and the techniques employed in the treatment of dysfluency are empowering for the recipients. Furthermore, a correspondent expressed the following: "...maybe if we had a greater proportion of speech therapists from different ethnic groups who are more aware of the cultural needs and reactions of these groups, this would help meet the needs of all people who stammer".

In conclusion, my heartfelt gratitude is due to my correspondents for their frank and informative letters. That stammering can be a cause of great distress to those who stammer is apparent from all the correspondents. This is partially or largely attributable to the attitudes of the wider community. The majority of the correspondents affirmed the beneficial effect of the therapeutic process, which was empowering. Perhaps progress for the future is in the direction of an education programme which raises awareness of the general public away from stigmatisation and towards empowerment.

From the Autumn 1995 edition of Speaking Out