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Sophist
Veteran
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Joined: 23 Apr 2005
Age: 42
Gender: Female
Posts: 6,332
Location: Louisville, KY

09 Nov 2005, 10:30 am

Stuttering

These are the criteria in bold which I fulfill:

1. sound and syllable repetitions
2. sound prolongations
3. interjections
4. broken words (i.e. pauses within a word)
5. audible or silent blocking (filled or unfilled pauses in speech)
6. circumlocutions (word substitutions to avoid problematic words)
7. words produced with an excess of physical tension
8. monosyllabic whole-word repititions (e.g., I-I-I-I see him)

Number 7 usually only happens when I am COMPLETELY stressed and anxious. Top level.


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Muddie
Butterfly
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Joined: 5 Nov 2005
Gender: Female
Posts: 10

09 Nov 2005, 10:46 am

I stammer and make strange word substitutions too. I am still new to the revelation that I have Asperger's and so this is amazing to me that you all have the same quirks. The stammering used to appall me and was therefore much worse.

I have a few techniques to sooth the stammer.
1) before a social situation, I will write out a few pages about my current life. It helps my mind prepare to be verbal and also provides me with what could be conversation material. Oh, I leave the written pages at home, of course!

2) If I have not had enough sleep in the past few days, I know I will be incoherent in a dialogue. It is so important now for me to get my 8 hours that I won't go out to a social event if I am sleep deprived. It's just not worth it.

3) Likewise if I have had too much sugar to eat. It is just my metabolism that I become a slug if I have sugar, and it doesn't make dealing with Aspergers any easier.

4) If someone cannot do us the courtesy of waiting a few moments to get our thoughts sorted, then they are just rude. Do you want a date with such a person? Do you want them for a boss? Imagine how obnoxious it would be if someone at a party had an allegic reaction, a seizure, or a severe cramp in the middle of a conversation and people just rolled their eyes and walked away. It is not our job to make jerks feel comfortable. This is the Take Me As I Am attitude I try to foster for myself.



Jonny
Velociraptor
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Joined: 9 Feb 2005
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Posts: 440
Location: London

09 Nov 2005, 7:53 pm

nirrti_rachelle wrote:
I've always had the same difficulties when speaking, especially with people other than family and real close friends. But the funny thing is every job I've had involved heavy contact with customers either on the phone or in person and when engaging with them I rarely had the same problems finding my words or stuttering.

Even when I was a reporter for my college newspaper or interviewed people as part of class assignments when studying journalism, it was as if I became instantly neuro-typical when it came to interaction. I guess it's like when actors or singers stutter yet when they're practicing their craft, they can pronunciate words normally due to them being planned in advance.

Next time you have to speak with strangers, it would be helpful for you to plan out exactly what you want to say, word for word. And when you do, think of it like an actor delivering his lines. If it's over the phone, you can even write down what you want to say. I did this on the job at a call center and it worked quite well. Oh, and don't worry about speed. Just take your time, even if you think it takes longer to communicate. People aren't as concerned about speed as much as the content. Believe me, I live in the South and I talk even slower than people here. :lol:


Hey same here ! Im more nervous around my friends than with strangers. I think its because I have to in some way maintain the friendship through social interaction and makes me more conscious of the way i present myself, this in turn makes me more nervous and generally has negative effects. Whereas with strangers, I know ill most likely never meet them again so im more relaxed.

The mind can be a right b***h sometimes.