Older Americans Conquering Stuttering

Treating the condition

Strategies that aid one person may not work for another. Elliot Dennis, 68, a former Eastman Kodak field representative who lives in East Norriton, Pa., had a breakthrough upon visiting a stuttering specialist in New York. To reduce tension on his vocal cords, Dennis let out a passive flow of air before uttering the first syllable of a phrase as if it were all he planned to say, and then moving on to the rest. He later joined Toastmasters to practice and build confidence. One time, Dennis adds, "I made a humorous speech about my heart attack." It won top honors in the district.

Humor also helps Lee Reeves, 61, a veterinarian in Plano, Texas. Despite successful treatment after his training, Reeves soon suffered a relapse. "The stuttering came back in spades," he recalls. "I had a very difficult time finding a speech pathologist who knew what to do with me." A researcher suggested starting a Dallas-area support group, just as he had done in college. By reaching out to help others who also stuttered, Reeves says, "I regrounded myself again."

Many adults who stutter had speech therapy in childhood and in their college years. When they consult with a therapist decades later, it's usually for a specific need, says Lisa Scott, director of clinical education at Florida State University. In 2009, a 58-year-old man sought her guidance for giving a toast. "He was really worried that he was going to embarrass his daughter" at her wedding.

Gaining confidence

A current client has a different hurdle to overcome. The 49-year-old home improvement store manager has been asked to apply for a corporate position. But he declined repeatedly because the promotion would entail doing presentations. "He wants to get past this fear," Scott says, "because he sees how it's holding him back."

In a desensitization process, Scott exposes the man to speaking with strangers around campus and in a shopping mall. Soon he will deliver a five-minute speech about his hobby — saltwater fishing — to three or four of her graduate students and answer questions. The audience will increase for subsequent and longer talks, which will include PowerPoint displays. "With every speech," Scott explains, "we want to get a little bit closer to simulating an actual presentation that he might give for work."

Mary Weadon has made enormous strides in group therapy. "I still stutter, but many people would not even notice it now," says Weadon, 61, of Herndon, Va., a retired special education teacher. "My feelings about stuttering are like small ripples rather than frightening waves."

Her speech therapist instructed the group to counter the shame that burdens many stutterers by advertising their disorder. Weadon decided to order a license plate with "MMMMARY." She displayed it on her car for more than 10 years. More recently, she adds that "in the lobby where The King's Speech was playing, I found myself wishing I was wearing a big button that said, 'I Stutter, Too.' "

Susan Kreimer is a writer in New York and a frequent contributor to the Bulletin.