Do you stutter? Cool! Each person who stutters is unique and chooses to embody this characteristic in many ways. Chances are, you’ve probably taken personality quizzes such as “what Harry Potter character are you?” or “Which Office character are you?”. Wondering “which kind of stutterer” you are? Keep reading to see which one fits with your lifestyle.
Side Note *** In reality, everyone has a little of all these qualities. Nothing is better than the other. We are all on our own personal journeys as people who stutter. ***
The Loud and Proud:
You’ll work on your speech and build an empire – regardless of the way you talk! You embody the mantra “If you have a problem with my stutter, that’s your problem”. Chances are you are confident with who you are and will speak your mind no matter what. This means raising your hand in class if you know the answer…. or even if you don’t. As long as your opinion is being heard, you’re happy! You’re also proud to “advertise”, no need to hide who you are!
The Quiet One
Does anyone know you stutter? No? Then this is you. You’re a pro at hiding and compensating for your stutter. So much so that if/when you have told someone you have a stutter, they literally don’t believe you. Some common “techniques” you use include “calls losing service”, “zoom isn’t working”, etc. You also have no plans in becoming a “foodie”, as half the time you order whatever food at the restaurant is easiest to say. You’re literally a human thesaurus with synonyms.
The Therapist
Are you a speech-language pathologist or planning to become one? Then this is you. You enjoy and have the ambition to help others, which is great! You’re constantly staying up to date with the stuttering researches, scouring the internet for information through journals, podcasts, and even Instagram. If anyone is making fun of your stutter, you have the coping mechanisms to handle it, but if anyone is making fun of a friend who stutters, you become their biggest advocate! Here and there you even toss in a voluntary stutter, just because you can!
The Social One
FRIENDS. SAY. NSA. Sound familiar? Yep, you’re the social one. You’ve built a community of supportive people around you and you can’t wait to join any and all events. A camp for people who stutter? Sign me up please. You love to stay in touch with your NSA friends, and look forward to the annual NSA conferences like a kid on Christmas morning. Oh, and the monthly meetings too of course! Drew Lynch’s YouTube videos? Oh yeah, you’ve seen every single one. Stutter Social events are marked in your calendar at all times.
The Zen One
Acceptance is your mantra. You accept your stutter; you know it’s not the best thing about you and not the worst. Your approach to your speech and to your life is Holistic, being at peace with who you are and your identity. Your stutter is not your whole identity though – there are so many other great qualities within you! “Mindfulness” of speech is your practice. You have intentionality around your speech and how you approach your words. Meditation is important to you, priming your awareness of what’s happening in the body and mind in the moment of stuttering. Namaste.
So... which “kind of stutterer” are you? Maybe you fall within two of the categories? Or maybe all four? Whatever it may be, we’re all able to offer unique ways of approaching stuttering, and that is the beauty of it.