When I start to stutter I use a short word like “um or somthing then I say the word that I stuttered on again so It sounds normal. Is this a good idea?
That trick is one that a lot of other people have tried. The bad part about tricks like that is that it sometimes works for a little while. Then it sometimes stops working. But you have learned to say “um” in front of some words and it becomes a new part of your stuttering. When that happens, some people try another “trick” – maybe blinking their eyes, or bobbing their head, or breathing funny, or something. That will work for a little while, too, although you are still also saying “um” in front of the word you are trying to say. Then the next trick doesn’t work either. These tricks can keep adding to the problem. The problem just keeps growing. And then someday, the biggest problem is not the little bobble or repetition you had on a word, it is all the ums, and other things you have added to try to keep from doing the bobble in the first place. Please talk to your speech therapist about this.
