|
|
|
|
|||
|
| |||
communityAlso in this
section: New help for people who stutter by Juan Fernandez What do Bruce Willis, Marilyn Monroe, James Stewart, John Wayne, Julia Roberts, Winston Churchill and King George VI of England all have in common? They are just a few of the famous people of present and past history who have suffered from the affliction of stuttering. Stuttering is still mocked and ridiculed in movies and television. The most flagrant example is the Porky Pig cartoons in which the character’s bad speech is targeted for ridicule. Movies such as A Fish Called Wanda and My Cousin Vinny also come to mind. Stuttering is a fact of life for one percent of the total adult world population, including some 30,000 people in Panama. It is estimated that four percent of the child population at some point suffers from this problem as well. It is typical for stutterers to experience many failed speech therapies. Juan Carlos Baumgarten, a computer software engineer, remembers coming to the United States at age 10 and having to go to speech therapy classes in a Los Angeles area public school. “The actual therapy did not help me at all. It some ways it was a waste of time because it raised my hopes for fluency. I think I would have been better off without any therapy at that point.” However, Baumgarten credits his speech therapist in high school with turning his life around. “This guy’s name was Mitchell and he helped me immensely. We really never did any actual speech therapy during my sessions with him twice a week. Maybe he knew that his therapy would not actually be able to help me. Instead, he told me about all the famous people who have struggled with stuttering and overcame it. It really inspired me. Mr. Mitchell also encouraged me pursue my hobbies --- like drums, acting and learning foreign languages. I set goals for myself which have resulted in my success.” Now, many years later, Baumgarten has for the most part overcome his stuttering. He went through a speech therapy program some years ago that was successful. Now, he is energized by the opportunities he sees as the result of the new Spanish-language website launched by the Stuttering Foundation of America, www.tartamudez.org. Says Baumgarten, “The purpose of this website is to help Spanish-speaking people who stutter.” He feels the best part about it is that it gives a list of reputable speech therapists that people can consult. The software engineer also feels that their list of “Famous People Who Stutter” will serve as an inspiration to young people struggling with the problem. The National Stuttering Foundation of America was founded in 1947 by Malcolm Fraser, who also founded NAPA Auto Parts, the multi-million dollar corporation, with his brother. Fraser himself struggled with stuttering during his life and wanted to help other people who stutter. The Foundation over the years has served as a resource to people who stutter and the parents of children that stutter. Last year, the Foundation mailed out a DVD on childhood stuttering that reached 50,000 pediatricians in the US The DVD came with both and English and Spanish version. The Foundation’s current president is Jane Fraser, the daughter of Malcolm. In a recent interview, Ms. Fraser clearly spelled out the Foundation’s purpose in launching the new Spanish-language version of their website,”We hope to reach out to the growing number of people in the US whose preferred language is Spanish… and whose only language is Spanish in some cases. We also have high hopes of reaching more people around the globe to let them know about our free services and videos, DVDs and books.” Ms. Fraser has dedicated her life to her father’s dream of helping people who stutter. One goal of the SFA is to foster research into a cure for stuttering. Evidence now points to both genetic and neurological components of stuttering, but an exact cause remains unseen. Fraser feels that the new website, www.tartamudez.org, will greatly help Latin American countries in addition to Spanish-speaking members in the US She is already optimistic about the new website effect Latin America. “There are probably fewer therapists in those countries, but things are really picking up in Brazil and Argentina thanks to the wonderful SLP’s who attended the SFAs two week training course at Northwestern University in Chicago. They have gone back to those countries, translated our materials, and organized clinics, improved services in hospitals and schools, and even gotten support groups organized.” Fraser’s enthusiasm is shared by other people in the stuttering community as well. Moises Alarcon, a lifelong stutterer from Massachusetts and a native of Peru, feels that his speech has held him back in his career. “I wish that a website like www.tartamudez.org had been around when I was in junior high and high school. My life may have been different. I think it is great that they list famous people with the problem so that younger people can have something to dream of. I always think of King George VI of England… when he unexpectedly took the throne in 1936 many people thought his speech problem would prevent him for being a good king. His radio broadcasts to his people during World War II raised the spirits of people in Great Britain, despite his issues with speech.” Eduardo Calderon hopes that the new website can help change the way that stuttering is viewed by many in his native Argentina. He said in an interview, “Too many times when a speech therapy is not successful, the blame falls on the child. I think it is great that the Foundation acts as a source of referrals for qualified speech therapists. I think every country in the world has its share of unqualified speech therapists.” Keeping with the intentions of its founder, the late Malcolm Fraser, the Stuttering Foundation of America distributes material on stuttering free of charge. They have seen in increase in request since the launch of the new website. Those wanting such material on stuttering can get it directly from www.tartamudez.org. The English version is www.stutteringhelp.org. Also in this
section:
News |
Business
|
Editorial
|
Opinion
|
Letters
|
Arts
|
Review
|
Community
|
Fun
|
Travel
Make the
Executive Hotel your headquarters in Panama City --- http://ww.executivehotel-panama.com Find the boat of your dreams through Evermarine --- http://www.evermarine.com |
||||||||||||
|
