The other day, the members of the aphasia group were talking about what it is like to have aphasia. One person imaginatively said, "Going to an aphasia group is like being around fat people - you don't feel so fat!" Another person talked about a bad experience with the staff in a neurologist's office, "You would think that they would understand." But it was another comment that really got my attention. "Don't go to a fast food place - unless you can say 1, or 4 - even if that's not what you want!"
In our culture, there is trememdous pressure to speak quickly, and to the point. If you cannot, you are ignored, passed over, or treated like "damaged goods". The pressure is so great that sometimes at a restaurant people will order something that they don't want, just because they can say it. People who stutter know this feeling well. People with aphasia also feel embarrassed when their speech folds under pressure.
We try to tell people to live they way they want to, not to succumb to the pressure - but that takes a lot of courage!
Showing posts with label stuttering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stuttering. Show all posts
Monday, September 24, 2007
Friday, January 5, 2007
Do people who stutter and people with aphasia have anything to say to each other?
I recently attended a performance by Our Time Theatre Company. This is a performance group for young people who stutter. This particular event consisted of three one-act plays written by young people who stutter and performed by professional actors.
The young authors spoke about their work after the performance. They spoke slowly, but it was clear from their facial expressions that they could formulate what they wanted to say as quickly as anyone else. It was their ability to speak that was slower than usual.
I went to this perfomance with a few people with aphasia. My friends with aphasia communicate about as quickly as the people who stutter. But it was clear that for the people with aphasia, their delay was in the ability to formulate the thought, not only in the speech.
I wondered if people who stutter and people with aphasia have anything to say to each other? Both face difficulties in communicating with strangers who are not familiar with their communication problems. Both face prejudice and misunderstanding, both are considered to be "dumb" and maybe emotionally unstable. The pain is similar.
But their stories are very different. People who stutter have normal ability to formulate thought, even if they cannot immediately produce it. Only "the mouth" is affected, not thought. They have their speech from a young age, not as part of a "damaged brain". Do they therefore feel naturally superior to people with aphasia?
The young authors spoke about their work after the performance. They spoke slowly, but it was clear from their facial expressions that they could formulate what they wanted to say as quickly as anyone else. It was their ability to speak that was slower than usual.
I went to this perfomance with a few people with aphasia. My friends with aphasia communicate about as quickly as the people who stutter. But it was clear that for the people with aphasia, their delay was in the ability to formulate the thought, not only in the speech.
I wondered if people who stutter and people with aphasia have anything to say to each other? Both face difficulties in communicating with strangers who are not familiar with their communication problems. Both face prejudice and misunderstanding, both are considered to be "dumb" and maybe emotionally unstable. The pain is similar.
But their stories are very different. People who stutter have normal ability to formulate thought, even if they cannot immediately produce it. Only "the mouth" is affected, not thought. They have their speech from a young age, not as part of a "damaged brain". Do they therefore feel naturally superior to people with aphasia?
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