Alan’s story
appears in every International Stuttering
Awareness Day (ISAD) online conference from
2002-2011. It’s a story that deserves repeating. Alan applies concepts of change with
remarkable results. He is a living, breathing example of a person who began
stuttering at age 3, reached a time in his life when he committed to change,
and then engineered his own total transformation. “I had achieved increased
fluency in a controlled environment,” writes Alan,”...[next] I had to deal with
personal issues involving communication with others...I drew up a plan of
action...I needed to do certain things over and over again until the behaviors
became familiar ....” (2003) Alan is a voice of hope for our children.
All of Alan’s ISAD papers, his poem (9), and his
comic book story for children. Have a consistent message:
“If you are in a comfort zone,
afraid to venture out
Remember, every stutterer was once
consumed with doubt
So don’t hold back - just take that
step and seek those pastures new
Embrace
your future with a smile, success is there for YOU.” (2003)
“Changing the
Words Around” (2004) is a masterful children’s story written by Alan Badmington
and illustrated by Chris Badgett-Richards. (8)
The main character is a hedgehog who copes with stuttering by avoiding
sounds that are too difficult to say. Alan himself recalls avoiding half the
alphabet. “I could not use words commencing with the letters ‘b’, ‘c’, ‘d’,
‘f’, ‘g’, ‘j’, ‘k’, ‘m’, ‘n’, ‘p’, ‘s’, ‘t’, and ‘v’... and “became a ‘walking
Thesaurus’”. (2005) Alan used word substitution, replacing words that were easier to say for the more
difficult ones. “I did not appreciate the harmful implications of such
behavior. No-one had ever explained that each time I avoided a word or letter,
the fear level increased.” (2006) Alan’s hedgehog orders slightly burnt toast
to avoid saying the /m/ in muffin, despite lots of mental rehearsal and the
best intentions. He betrays a friend and delays emergency home repair help
because of sound fears that escalate into automatic, uncontrollable, word
avoidance. The effect this avoidance has upon others leaves him feeling guilty
and creates a limited image of himself and his potential.
“As someone who
commenced stuttering in early childhood, I developed many negative beliefs
about my speech behavior. As I experienced continuing difficulties throughout
my life, these beliefs became engrained...I learned avoidance techniques in
relation to words, sounds and situations. I perceived anything that challenged
my limited self-image as a threat to my well being.” (2003) See “How I Changed My Stuttering Mindset” (2005)
for a lengthy list.
Recognizing and
then challenging avoidance is a central message in Alan’s writings. “Each time
we avoid something, we strengthen its influence over us. We can evade for so
long, but the time will come when the situation demands that we have to say a
specific word, or speak in a particular situation. When that happened, I found
that my fear level had increased so much that I stuttered more severely.” (2007)
Alan applied “new techniques to the physical side” of speech to improve
fluency. (2009) Then, “[I] adopted a holistic approach, and working on
different areas of my life, my speech improved as a by-product.” (2009)
I wondered what
science might underlie Alan’s story. Stuttering is “a condition that is
heterogeneous in its symptoms and behavioral patterns.” (1) The onset and development of stuttering is
different from person to person “with
respect to predominant disfluencies (e.g., prolongations vs. repetitions),
onset characteristics (e.g., sudden vs. gradual), language skills (e.g.,
precocious vs. delayed), and relative profiles of strength/weakness (e.g., weak
phonology/weak language skills vs. weak phonology/strong language skills)…” (2)
Could it be that Mr. Badmington had a
stuttering subtype that was particularly responsive to his treatment approach?
Alan’s belief
that stuttering is a multifaceted disorder (3) may be consistent with the
scientific theory that language is “a
learned skill, based on a functional language system (FLS) that is distributed
over many parts of the human brain.” (4) If successful communication requires
many areas of the brain to work “in parallel, redundantly, in different
anatomical sites” (5), then treatment addressing multiple aspects would seem to
make sense. I may need to throw away my colorful plastic model of the brain
highlighting how different parts affect behavior. It is outdated, akin to the
ancient theory of phrenology. (6) “Neophrenological theories do not claim that
a bump on a person’s skull can tell you that he is honest. However, they claim
that activity confined to a particular part of the brain regulates a complex
aspect of behavior.” (7) I view this as good news. It means our children can
work to overcome stuttering in multiple ways.
Let’s make
Alan’s achievements more than a testimonial. Let’s think about Alan’s story in
light of the idea that there is no single disorder called “stuttering” but
rather different subtypes.First, we do not know exactly the type, frequency, or severity of Alan’s disfluency. Would that
have made difference? Second we do not know details about the onset of his
stuttering other than it began at age 3 and he received early therapy but “did not recall any major difficulties
until…11 years” of age. (2005) Was early intervention somewhat effective,
perhaps establishing early neural foundations for fluency? Third, how might
Alan’s exceptional language skills have contributed to his stuttering and to his
recovery?. He “edited several magazines; held secretaryship of numerous
organizations; [was] advisor to a fictional crime series on British
television…written humorous verse and other poetry…[wrote slogans] to win
hundreds of prizes…[and wrote] speeches/poems for use by other people.” (2008) These
questions might reveal important information; perhaps the subtype of stuttering
Alan experienced might have predicted the kind of stuttering treatment he found
effective.
We could consider
the role of temperament as well. So as not to make a long article even longer,
I will simply wonder aloud if Alan was gifted with an outgoing personality. Maybe
this amplified the devastating effect
that stuttering had upon his quality of life. For example, he deplored being demoted
to a desk job. Also, his role model was a public speaker. “…April 1, 2000 when
I witnessed a PWS recounting how he had won several speaking trophies in formal
competition…was such a defining moment that the date is indelibly imprinted on
my memory.” (2011) I mean really - how many of us want to be a public speaker! Embracing
a new vision of himself as a public speaker, drawing upon years of challenges
he must have overcome as a police officer, and embarking on a rigorous action
plan, Alan “discovered incredible opportunities for growth.” (2011)
I am truly grateful
to Alan Badmington for being a voice of hope. I was thrilled to read that his
ideas were preserved in a series of video-recordings at Arkansas State
University. (2010) Yet, testimonials are not enough for speech language
pathologists (SLPs) who now must work in a climate of Evidence Based Practice.
There must be some science supporting treatment decisions. I recently read, once
again, that an SLP practicing fluency therapy must know all of the current
treatment options and for whom they will be most effective. I find this professorial
advice intimidating and unrealistic. Until research clarifies stuttering
subtypes and then prescribes corresponding treatments, how do clinicians know
for sure ‘what works’ for any given individual? In addition, it seems to me humanly
impossible to implement every possible treatment adequately. It seems more appropriate
that I explain my bias’ about stuttering, support that bias with research articles, and outline my preferred therapy methods.
Referring to other SLPs as needed demonstrates my respect for their specialized
competence.
At the end of “Changing
the Words Around”, the main character buys
muffins at a 2-for-1 sale, one for himself and one for his best friend. The time had come: a decision to change, a
vision of success, a rigorous processes of challenging fear, creative and persistent
follow through, and just perhaps, a stuttering subtype responsive to this plan
of action.
“One
day, I decided, enough was enough
I
made myself promise, (although it was tough)
To
say what I wanted, whatever the letter
At
times, I still struggled, but I felt so much better. “ (8)
(1) Carol
Hubbard Seery et. al., (2007) Subtyping
Stuttering II : Contributions from Language and Temperament, NIH Public Access p. 14 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2082140/
(2) Ibid.
p. 2
(3) John
Harrison (2002) ”How I Recovered from Stuttering” http://www.masteringstuttering.com/recovery-stuttering.htm
(4) Philip
Lieberman (2002) Human Language and Our Reptilian Brain, Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press, p. 1
(5) Ibid.
p. 6
(6) Phrenology:
“The study of the shape and protuberances of the skull, based on the now
discredited belief that they reveal character and mental capacity.” http://www.thefreedictionary.com/phrenology
(7) Lieberman,
P. p. 23
(8) Alan
Badmington (2004) “Changing the Words Around” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad7/papers/badmington7/badmington17.html
(9) “EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad7/papers/badmington7/badmington27.html
Alan
Badmington’s International Stuttering Awareness Day articles
2002: “For Better - For Worse” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad5/papers/weddingvows.html
2003: “STEP
OUTSIDE: Why expanding comfort zones can improve our stuttering and lead
to more fulfilling lives” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad6/papers/badmington6.html
2004: “ IT'S GOOD TO TALK ABOUT IT” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad7/papers/bridgebuilders7/alan7.html
2005: “How I changed My Stuttering Mindset” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad8/papers/badmington8.html
2006: “Technology: A friend or
foe of someone who stutters?” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad9/papers/badmington9.html
2007: “TWO THINGS I WISH I'D
KNOWN ABOUT STUTTERING WHEN I WAS YOUNGER” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad10/papers/messages10/badmington10.html
2008: “Thanks To My Stutter, I'm
Never Lost For Words” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad11/papers/gift11/badmington11.html
2009: “How Beliefs and Self-image
Can Influence Stuttering” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad12/papers/badmington12.html
2010: “Helping
tomorrow's therapists gain a greater insight into stuttering” http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad13/papers/tales13/badmington13.html