A Sydney Morning Herald article from my archive noted that for the first time stutterers suffering severe ''social phobias'' linked to their speech impediment will be able to access psychological help online after successful Sydney trials for a new treatment.
The article explained that the Australian stuttering research centre at Sydney University's Cumberland campus has been comparing the outcomes of its new internet-based interactive behavioural therapy with traditional face-to-face psychological counselling.
High school mathematics teacher Phil O'Rourke was one of 40 life-long stutterers who took part in the Sydney trial. He said: ''The therapy tries to establish the fact that no one actual cares if you stutter or not, planting the seed that your belief that the world is going to cave in, if you can't get out a word, is all in the mind.''
Professor Onslow said stuttering was a physical disorder caused by unusual brain activity rather than nervousness or stress. It affects between 1 per cent and 2 per cent of the population. 'If you go to a speech pathologist for stuttering, they can help you control the stuttering, but they're not qualified to help you with your anxiety,'' he said.
For whatever reason, I have been a painful stutterer all my life. In 1976 I was working as a locomotive engineman on the NSWGR, engaged in part time studies at the University of Wollongong, and seeking the Lord towards theological seminary for Ordination as a Baptist minister.
1976 Intensive Clinical Sciences course
Because of this impediment, I thought it prudent to take a fortnight's intensive speech therapy course in Clinical Sciences at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney. At that course, I was re-taught to speak. 'Gentle Onsets' was the name of the game, allowing the outward breath carry a gentle sound which would then be formed as a sounding word as the breadth carried it out of the mouth. There were exercises and each of us had to go on talk back-radio.
I was re-taught to speak as in that advert (Aerogard) - "Didyouhaveagoodweekend". The most difficult situations are lining up to buy a ticket (train, theatre, cinema ...), asking someone directions, shopping and meeting new people. The worst parts are those dreaded starts of sentences or the words that come after a breath – this is when I need to get the sentence going again.
That speech therapy course has held me in good standing all these years although I still get stuck many times, and I am forever changing words (in my mind) before I come to use words in conversation.
In effect, like many stammerers, in my mind's eye, I'm up to one or two sentences ahead while speaking out the current sentence, having memorised all the words that I'm comfortable with one or two sentences ahead, and continuously, especially when in a public place.
Stutterers
For sheer memory retention, language agility, vocabulary breadth and doggedness, stammerers are very quick thinkers. The problem is choosing words we know we can use, and avoiding those we know give us problems – and every stutterer is different.
As air flow is the critical component, as illustrated in "The King's Speech", singing is never a problem as there is air flow. Shouting is never a problem or saying things very loudly, and therefore preaching has always essentially, for me, been stammer-free. I raise my voice a lot ..... not so much to emphasise a point, but to avoid stammering.
The Lord led me to a girl who became my wife who had a hearing defect (her mum had German Measles when pregnant). Sweet nothings were loud sweet nothings – I could say them and Delma could hear them! I've always said our 39 years of marriage has been one of bliss as Delma can't hear and I can't talk.
Turning things around
History has a way of turning things on their head, as God chose in this instance, a stammerer to lead the English peoples through those dreadful WWII years (ref: The King's Speech).
In much the same way, the Lord chose in 1982 not to initiate sports chaplaincy across the nation with a perfectly groomed and attired Sydney or Melbourne private schooled clergyman. The contrast could not have been more telling.
I'm the larger man (rotund), dressed by the suburban men's store, speak as if I'm still a train driver (that I was for 10 years), a fuddy duddy and eccentric, and laughs at myself hilariously, and more, I was a matured aged student at university followed by hard-yakka theological under-graduate degree, theological prizes and post-graduate honours.
Tomorrow – Part 2 – Stuttering !
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html