I don’t think the affliction came very gradually, nor do I know the cause, though it was about that time that I found I couldn’t see well enough to read with my right eye. To fix the eye, the optometrist had said it was a “lazy eye” and that I was to wear a patch over the good one and make that one work. It didn’t work. To this day it didn’t work. Later, with better tools doctors could see that I had a scar that interfered with direct ahead vision. But the frustration of trying to read with an eye that allowed no vision in the right place was, indeed, profound. Maybe that trauma caused the stuttering that crippled my tongue.

When the problem first occurred, it happened only when I talked. I could read aloud, or sing, or quote memorized passages, but I couldn’t utter a complete statement without stuttering. My tangue was tongled.

One symptom of the plague was to know which word I would be unable to pronounce even before I began the statement. I’d try to think of a way around it, some synonym, or other way to express the thought, which made me slow to answer, made me think of what to say. (Maybe that isn’t bad. It does influence my talk even now, I think.) Soon the handicap spread to include reading and all expressions.

For someone who loved to be in all the plays, to recite the poems we had to learn, to answer questions in class, it was pure torture.

I don’t remember others teasing me about the stuttering. Maybe I was just too loaded with misery to notice. But I think in that small school we were more tolerant of each other’s faults. The struggle continued for several years.

Stuttering Facts
I just investigated the web page of Stuttering Foundation of America where I found some facts about stuttering:

• Over three million Americans stutter.
• Stuttering affects four times as many males as females.
• People who stutter are as intelligent and well-adjusted as non-stutterers.
• There are no instant miracle cures for stuttering.
• Some 25 percent of all children go through a state of development during which they encounter disfluencies sever enough to concern their parents.
• People who stutter are self-conscious about their stuttering and often let the disability determine the vocation they choose.
• Stuttering becomes an increasingly formidable problem in the teen years as dating and social interaction begin.

Famous Stutterers
Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, John Strossel, Mel Tillis, James Earl Jones, King George VI—are just a few of noted ones who stuttered and went on to have successful lives.

Gimmicks
Sometimes some gimmicks work with some people. Mel Tillis didn’t stutter when he sang, so at times his speech had a tune Someone told me to trace a square with a finger in the air as I tried to speak and I could say the words. It probably looked funny to see me drawing pictures in the air while I talked, but, for me, it worked. Maybe concentrating on the moving finger relaxed the talking mechanism or something, but it worked. For years after I became more able to talk I would occasionally have to resort to squares. Especially when tired, I had a problem. The ghost of the stuttering sometimes still haunts me. (Especially since I’ve reached the age when the exact word I want eludes me.)

About Dr. Mary Joe Clendenin

Professor Emeritus of Lubbock Christian University, Dr. Mary Joe Clendenin (contact her) taught for 40 years beginning in Erath County, Texas, where she grew up. During her career, she taught every grade from first through college. For 18 years, she taught in New Mexico, where, in 1968, she was named Teacher of the Year. She earned the B.S. degree from Abilene Christian University, M.S. in Natural Science (Math and Physics) from New Mexico Highlands University, ED.S. in Guidance and Counseling, and the Ed.D. degree from New Mexico State University. She has written many books including Devotional Souvenirs and Melody Within.

Mary Joe and her Husband, Ray, have two sons and a daughter and eight grandchildren. Ray served many years as an Elder for the church in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and for the Parkway Drive Church of Christ in Lubbock.

Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Joe Clendenin. ©2001 All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the author. See her website.

Building Self Esteem
Does your child have enough
poker chips for the game of life?
by Joe Spataro
Self esteem is the most important aspect of our children's lives. If you believe that you can do it, then you probably can. Unfortunately, many kids are told quite the opposite, especially if they don't quite "fit in." Kids with learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, victims of bullies and many others get constant messages, that they are not worthy. Many of these messages come from teachers, parents and others who are supposed to be helping them. Quickly, they will believe it and it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We have some great FREE inspirational video clips that can help you help your child from Dr. Robert Brooks who talks about "Islands of Competence" and the need to celebrate and reinforce of them. Richard Lavoi then has another video clip about making sure that your child gets enough poker chips for the game of life.

ADD & special kids support

Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World:
Unlocking the Potential of Your Add Child

by Jeffrey Freed, Laurie Parsons
Requiring only ten minutes a day, the program revealed in this groundbreaking book provides an effective, step-by-step method for helping children with Attention Deficit Disorder develop their special skills and individual learning styles and excel in a classroom setting.

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