International Stammering Awareness Day: ‘Shades of stammering – What’s yours?’

Every year on October 22nd, the globe unites to mark International Stammering Awareness Day. This day aims to enhance public understanding of stammering, honor those who stammer, and advocate for communities to improve their support. This year’s focus is "Shades of Stammering — What’s Yours?" – a reminder that stammering manifests uniquely in each individual.

Some individuals repeat sounds, others get stuck mid-sentence, and some mask it so well that it goes unnoticed but at a significant personal cost. Regardless of the form, each shade of stammering deserves respect, visibility, and acceptance. Stammering Defined Stammering is a neurological speech disorder characterized by disruptions in speech flow through repetitions, elongations, or blocks.

Contrary to common misconceptions, it is not a result of nervousness, low intelligence, poor upbringing, or spiritual issues. Globally, 1 in 100 adults stammer, equating to hundreds of thousands in Ghana alone. While there is no cure, individuals can learn to manage stammering with the assistance of a speech and language therapist.

The Hidden Emotional Cost Beyond the physical aspects of stammering, there is an unseen emotional toll. Many who stammer grapple with anxiety, shame, and low self-esteem. Some individuals avoid speaking altogether, missing out on opportunities in classrooms, job interviews, and social events not because they lack things to say, but due to fear of how they will be perceived.

This fear is termed 'career entrapment.' Many talented Ghanaians give up ambitions like becoming lawyers, teachers, doctors, politicians, or broadcasters not due to a lack of ability, but because their stammer makes those career paths feel inaccessible. A Silent Injustice Stammering robs individuals of their potential and denies society the benefit of their contributions.

Comedy and Stammering Comedy should be a celebration of creativity, not a weapon to belittle others. Using stammering as a source of humor is cruel. Children who stammer watching others make fun of the way they speak risk internalizing the ridicule. It is crucial for Ghana’s comedians to steer clear of using stammering as punchlines.

The Classroom Environment Schools can either be spaces of growth or daily anxiety for a student who stammers, depending on how the adults respond. Avoid laughing at, mimicking, or singling out students for how they speak. Refrain from advising them to slow down or repeat. Simply provide them with the necessary time, maintain eye contact, and listen to their content, not just the manner of their speech.

Your understanding can transform a student’s life. Call to Action This year, the Speech Therapists and Audiologists’ Association of Ghana (STAAG) and the Ghana Stammering Association are urging all Ghanaians to contribute to a more inclusive society. Here’s how you can help: Grant individuals who stammer additional time to express themselves.

Do not complete their sentences for them. Refrain from laughing, mimicking, or mocking stammering. Speak out against others who do so. If your child stammers, seek help from a speech and language therapist early. Every Voice Matters Recognize that every voice, regardless of how it is spoken, holds significance. Every shade of stammering counts.

Together, let us create a Ghana where no one is hindered by the way they speak. Dr. Josephine Ohenewa Bampoe, President of the Speech Therapists and Audiologists’ Association of Ghana, and a lecturer at the University of Ghana, emphasizes the importance of this initiative. For inquiries, contact STAAG at jobamp@hotmail.com.