Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

We can take speech for granted sometimes because it's something most of us do all the time without thinking. It's only when a problem with speaking comes up that we realise how much we rely on it.

Being in a group of friends but not being able to communicate can be very frustrating. It's natural to want to express yourself and join in the conversation. If you can't, then you might feel like you don't belong. People who have no speech problems can seem to talk very fast and unless they know you need more time, they might keep the conversation going when you want to say something. The longer this goes on, the more frustrated you might become - which might make your speech problem worse.

There are lots of different types of speech problem and no matter what the problem is it can be difficult to do everyday things such as talking to friends or reading out loud at school. Whatever your speech problem, there's help available to you.

The first step is to go to your GP  and they might refer you to a specialist - someone who treats specific illnesses. A specialist will likely have ways of helping with your speech problem. There are lots of charities and organisations that your GP might be able to talk to you about as well.

In the meantime, perhaps you can talk to your friends about the problem you're having. If they know about it they can make sure you’re given enough time to respond in conversations and know to be patient.

I hope this has helped, you can always contact our counsellors if you want to talk more about how stammer is affecting you.

Take care

Sam