Personal Narrative Essay about Stuttering

From as far as I can recall, I have had a speech impediment. My speech disfluency worsened at the age of nine and from there my confidence plummeted; I began to socialize less and less because I knew that my speech patterns were abnormal. After mulling over my past feelings of shame and inadequacy, I decided to write an essay about a speech disorder called stuttering. My goal for this paper is to help myself become more eloquent and concise when speaking. Maybe I will become confident as well. Communication is essential for everyday life and is even more important in the healthcare field. If I become a good communicator, I will become a good doctor.

Stuttering is a speech disorder characterized by the repetition of sounds, syllables, or words. In some patients, there is also prolongation of sounds and interruptions of speech known as blocks. During the speech disruption, physiological symptoms may occur. These symptoms can manifest as rapid eye blinks, lip tremors, or straining of the neck muscles. There are different types of stuttering with the most common being developmental. Developmental stuttering occurs in young children who may have a few fluency issues. Over time the disfluency may disappear on its own, but a few children may go on to stutter. The next form is Neurogenic stuttering. Neurogenic stuttering occurs after a traumatic brain injury or a cerebrovascular accident, TBI and CVA respectively. After a traumatic brain injury or stroke, parts of the brain that produces and understands speech may be damaged. Speech therapy can alleviate the effects of disfluency. The last type is the psychogenic stutter. This disfluency is caused by trauma or other mental disturbances and is considered extremely rare. It is also difficult to diagnose because what qualifies as trauma varies from person to person and there is no onset age. Treatment may consist of cognitive-behavioral therapy and speech therapy.

Needless to say, normal speech patterns are fluent and involve common disfluencies such as filler words, brief pauses, and repetition of a word or phrase. These disfluencies do not interfere with the person’s message they are trying to convey and otherwise, there is more fluency than disruptions. Speech begins in the brain, specifically, in Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. Other parts of the brain coordinate the movement of the tongue, lips, and the corresponding muscles that produce spoken words. Usually, speech-related brain activity happens on the left side of the brain. Broca’s area is located in the inferior frontal gyrus and is responsible for speech production. This unique area is also considered the motor speech zone because it is located near the motor cortex. Broca’s area regulates breathing patterns while speaking and produces the vocalizations required for normal speech. Multiple studies have concluded that a reduction of blood flow to Broca’s area can result in stuttering: the greater the reduction, the greater the disfluency. The damage inflicted upon Broca’s area can cause poor articulation, the person can comprehend speech but is unable to articulate their thoughts fluently. Wernicke’s area is the second major component of speech. Wernicke’s area is located in the temporal lobe in the left hemisphere of the brain. This section of the brain is responsible for language development and the comprehension of speech. Damage to this area will result in receptive fluent aphasia, a type of aphasia in which a person can correctly connect words but the sentences will lack meaning and clarity. The damaged area can also render the person unable to understand words. 

Although a speech disorder cannot be cured, numerous techniques and therapies can help ease the effects of the speech disorder on the patient’s life. Common therapy tips include speaking slower, avoiding trigger words, and practicing mindfulness. It is also helpful to not rush the patient and to not point out any disfluencies as they speak. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can also be added to the treatment plan to manage anxiety and depression around social situations. Avoiding speaking or limiting socializing is detrimental to treatment, and the patient should be encouraged to speak as much as they can handle on a given day. In extreme cases, medications and electronic devices may be able to help.

A speech disorder is difficult to live with and I have seen firsthand how destructive it can be towards healthy self-esteem and social life. Thankfully there are treatment options and coping mechanisms available to manage the effects of stuttering and soon I will be using these helpful tips to minimize the effects of my speech disorder. With patience and hard work, I will be able to become a better communicator and thus a better doctor.