My name is Irvin. I am a 79 year old farmer from Central Saskatchewan. I want to tell the story of my stuttering journey. I don't remember when it started but I remember stuttering since public school. I stuttered and had blocks, but I will mostly refer to them both only as stutters. I am not going to tell any stuttering experiences now, because they would be the same as those of the people reading this.
The search for a cure
I always considered my stutter as a condition I had. I tried everything I could think of to cure it, when I was young, but nothing worked. When I was in my thirty's I made up my mind to get serious about finding a cure for my stutter. I wasn't willing to accept stuttering for the rest of my life. I started by borrowing and reading several books from my library. One specific book explained why some people start stuttering in the first place while others don't and what makes speech better or worse in different situations.. The book also blew up many of the myths about what stuttering was and what caused it. No book, however, could answer my main question which was, how to cure it.
I don't stutter when I sing, recite poems, etc.
I wanted a method, a key, a skill or a cure for my baffling condition. I went to see my mother's doctor about it. He gave me a sheet of tongue twisters and told me to practice them, but I knew that wouldn't help. I could always do tongue twisters as well as recite poems, say nursery rhythms and sing with no problem. It puzzled me why I could do those things without a problem but not speak. Next I went to my wife's doctor and she referred me to a speech therapist. I realize now that he didn't understand stuttering because he wasn't any help either.
I was good at hiding my stutter
Then I got my own doctor and he referred me to a different speech therapist. She spent some time, and used various methods to evaluate my speech. By that time in my life I had become very good at hiding my stutter. I could substitute words, rearrange my sentences and use other tricks so I didn't have much trouble talking to her. Then she had me read a page from a book. I couldn't use any of my tricks because I had to read exactly what was printed. I stuttered my way through the page.
Lightbulb moment
Then she set a metronome onto the table in front of me and told me to read the same page again but this time keep time to the metronome beat, one syllable per beat. To my utter surprise I was able to read the page without a stutter this time. In fact, I felt like I could have read the whole book without a problem. I can remember to this day how I felt at that moment. I had just been shown the method to cure my stutter. This was what I had been searching for all my life.
Method to manage my stutter
This is where it gets a little tricky trying to explain how I used this method. I said that I could sing without a stutter. Now I know why. A song is made up of words and a rhythm or beat. It's the beat that keeps the air flowing as I sing the words and keeps me from stuttering. In fact it is impossible for me to stutter when I sing to a beat. So if singing to a beat keeps the air flowing when I sing the words and keeps me from stuttering, then why couldn't talking to that same beat keep the air flowing when I say the words and keep me from stuttering? The short answer is that it can and I found that it does.
I realized that I wouldn't stutter when I talked to a beat, but I didn't want to talk to a beat all of the time. Then it occurred to me that I didn't have to talk to a beat all of the time because I didn't stutter all of the time. I found that I only had to switch and talk to about three beats when I was about to stutter or block. The beat would keep the air flowing, When I got past the stutter, I could switch back to my normal speech again until tension tries to stop the air flow again.
With a little practice I learned how to switch to a beat and then switch back again without it being noticeable, since I usually only needed three beats to get past the stutter. The first beat would be just before the stutter, and it and the next two beats would keep the air flowing and not allow it to stop, so I didn't have to start the air flow up again.
A little practice brings success
I used to block when I started sentences with certain letters like H or K When I felt like I was going to block on those letters, I would concentrate on saying the first 3 syllables at the start of the sentence to three beats. When I realized how well that worked, I started to become more comfortable and confident doing it. Once I got good at doing that I started switching to a beat in the middle or end of a sentence whenever I felt the urge to stutter. The more success I had the more comfortable and confident I got that it would work. I kept on perfecting switching to a beat until it became automatic and has been for about 40 years. Once I understood that a stutter is simply the stoppage of air flow through the mouth, and was shown a way to keep that air flowing and not let it stop, all it took was little practice.
I like to compare this method to driving my truck on a snow covered road. When I get to a snow bank I can drive into the bank and get stuck, spin my wheels until they get some traction, or engage my 4 wheel drive and slowly drive out of the snowbank. What works better is to engage my four wheel drive when I see the snow bank approaching and drive right through it without getting stuck. It doesn't allow the wheels to stop. Switching to a metronome beat is my speech four wheel drive. It does exactly the same thing when I feel a stutter or block approaching. It doesn't allow the airflow to stop.
Time to share with others who stutter
One day about three or for years ago I was thinking about how lucky I was to be shown a method to cure my stutter. Then I started feeling guilty. I realized that I was being selfish by keeping my method and success to myself. I wanted to share it with others and help those that were still struggling with the condition but I didn't know how to come in contact with them. I reached out to a speech therapist friend of mine but she wasn't interested and acted like I didn't know what I was talking about. I searched the internet but couldn't find a way there either until I stumbled onto the CSA website and discovered that there is a CSA Prairie Online Support Group. I started attending the weekly meeting to offer my support but my main reason was to offer and explain my method to anyone who was interested. I have been attending the meetings for about two years now.
Today I am 99.9% stutter free
That is where I will end the story of my 70 year stuttering journey, as a stutterer, a recovering stutterer and a recovered stutterer. In those 70 years I have gathered enough information on the subject that I could write a book. What I have shared in this article would only fill a few pages. If there is interest I can write more articles. The method that I have described has worked very well for me. Today I am 99.9% stutter free. I still get the urge to stutter occasionally but I have total confidence that I can control and manage my air flow. I don't think about my speech anymore. I just speak. This metronome beat method might not work for everyone but if anyone reading this wants more information or has questions I would be only to happy to demonstrate and explain my method further.
Irvin Heuchert is a 79 year old farmer from Central Saskatchewan, He is open to receiving your questions via email: irvinht@gmail.com.
Carla Di Domenicantonio, CSA SLP Relations Officer, writes:
In this article, Irvin shares a technique to manage his stutter that worked for him over many years. While that is wonderful, we know that different approaches work for different people, as he mentions, and that, for many, meaningful changes happen over time. There are two syllable-timed speech programs with evidence to support their effectiveness for young children. They are the Westmead Program and the Oakville Program. Syllable-timed speech is not commonly used with adults due to lack of evidence regarding its effectiveness.