This is the first chapter from the draft of an upcoming TISA book (to be translated into Hindi) for children who stammer. It is based on the fact that most children/ adolescents recover much more easily from stammering, than adults, if they can internalise certain beliefs and values.The book consists of seven such core values. Feel free to give your feedback to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   (Editor)

Dear Children

Stammering is a tough opponent. But it teaches you never to give up. It also teaches you to accept and respect imperfection, in ourselves and others. It teaches us humility. But with all this, it is a big pain! Isn’t it? It stops us from saying what we want, as we want and when we want. I say so because I know so. Yes, I stammered for more than 40 years! Finally I found the answers like many others in the world. Yes, even if you did nothing- just lived whole heartedly, you will find answers to all your problems by the time you are fifty! But who wants to be fifty before the fun begins? Why cant you have the solution to your problem right now in your teens?

Yes, you can. And I wish to share them with you right here. I put them in the form of questions- challenging questions! Dont worry if you can not give a resounding YES to every question. Every one can change - with some effort and time. You too can work on the suggestions given under the questions- and finally, some day soon, you can lick your opponent to dust. Or - you may learn to be friends with your opponent, who knows! Friends never harass each other.

I have used an interesting approach in this book: Every question is followed by a true case study as an example- and some good ideas to practice. You need to work long and systematically. If possible, do so under the guidance of an older PWS or a friend.

Can you talk about it? Write about it?

Can you accept your self as you are? It does not mean that you would remain as you are today. If you want to go to Badrinath, where does your journey begin from? From the bus stand? The railway station? No - it starts where you are sitting right now, reading this book. You will have to put the book away, get out of your room, go to the bus stand and then get in to bus or catch a train. How will you get to the bus, if you dont leave your house? And how do you leave house, unless you stop doing what you are doing right now? So, first thing, you must know where you are and what you are doing at THIS moment. In other words, you need to find out: do I stammer? When, where and how? How much? How much does it interfere with my communication? Etc. Here is a true story of a brave boy- only names have been changed.

Case study: Vijay became aware of his stammering sometime in class 7. May be he stammered even before that but never paid attention to it. His father an armyman, was transferred to Kanpur and Vijay was admitted to a new school. In the principal's office, when she asked his name- he just could not say his name. His face became red and went into a spasm and no sound came out. He was aware that his father, standing just a few feet behind him was surprised. So was the principal. Finally, his father answered for him- “Vijay”. Afterwards, his father never asked anything, nor did Vijay feel like talking about it. All he knew, that something bad had happened and he just wanted to forget the whole thing.

Again after a few days, same thing happened in the Maths class. Then, he noticed a very interesting thing- another boy, a very popular one, called Manish, in his class also talked in a different way. He too stammered, but instead of keeping his mouth shut, he was talking all the time- and not in a low pitch! O my God - he was fond of talking out loud: G-G-give me that b-b-back. W-w-w-what are you laughing at? Hav-have you n-n-never seen anyone stammering? Etc.

Some children laughed but Manish carried on. And he was good both at studies and games. Everyone tried to have him on their team, on their side. Vijay often listened closely, whenever Manish spoke in the class. He looked at him in the play ground, and wondered if he could ever become like Manish.

One day the new Biology teacher, asked in class: does any child in this class stammer? Manish of course raised his hand and blurted out: Y-yes sir- I some time g-g-get stuck on w-w-words! He almost said it as if it was a big achievement! But something happened in Vijay's heart. If he can do it- why cant I? And suddenly, he found his hand going up slowly! Some children turned back to look at him and smiled, as if to say- yes, we already know! The teacher fortunately did not ask any further questions and went on to talk about brain and how it orders the tongue and how speech is formed. But Vijay felt very relaxed that day- as if he had done what needed to be done for a long long time. He felt as if a heavy stone was off his chest.

After two days- Manish smiled and stopped him in the play ground: so you stammer? I did not know. Vijay said yes and told him how he copes with his problem by keeping quiet. Manish responded: No, I talk about my stammer to everyone. And if they try to say my words, I tell them not to. And he laughed as he said so.

After a few days, Vijay talked about his stammering to another of his friends. Of course , this friend did not stammer but he listened carefully. Now, Vijay found that he was talking about his problem more and more- and he felt more comfortable and confident. His father still did not want to hear anything about it. But that was okay. As long as his friends in school knew and understood, it was okay. After about two months, Vijay noticed a change: he was able to laugh and talk and stammer easily. Earlier, he used to become very serious whenever he had to talk. Super-serious. As if he was going in to battlefield! But now he was able to talk more easily and those total stoppages of air and sound -his blocks- were no more there.

Unknown to Vijay, another child in America, Peter was writing in a diary, all about his stammering; yes, everything- on which words he stammered, talking to whom, about what and for how long, how he felt etc. etc. His English teacher encouraged him to write poem and stories about his stammering. Some of these were published in the school magazine, which made Peter so happy. Few months later, he was invited to write regularly at the website of an organization working for children who stammer.

Both Vijay and Peter, noticed a change coming over them gradually over the months. Writing and talking again and again, helped them to accept their stammering and stop struggling whenever they felt it ‘coming’. Now, they were stammering in a gentle easy way. No more were there spasm on their faces, nor did they blink. They were no more worried about how other children would take their stammering. Hadn’t they talked already about it to everyone on their own? Above all, they just completed what they were saying! They had many more friends now.

Practical Ideas:

1 Start with your best friend, with something like: I sometime just can not say, what I want to say. It bothers me. What do you think I should do?. Then, gradually share it with others.

2. Make friends with other children who stammer or who have other differences (use specs, ear phones, crutches etc.)

2. Start writing a diary. In school, take teacher’s permission to write about your speaking experiences during composition class, as essay or a poem or a story.

3. On 22^nd October- International Stammering Awareness Day- Write for school magazine. Write a letter to TISA or your local news paper.

4. Keep a diary of the moments when you stutter: with whom, when, how long, on which word, and hwo you felt etc.

Second story : Can you mimick your own stammering?

Third Story: Can you look into the mirror and talk?

Fourth story: Sprint or a Marathon? what would you have?

Fifth Story: Can you laugh about your stammer?

Sixth story: Can you slow down your stammer?

Seventh story: Can you frighten the fear?