Digest

This podcast episode delves into the world of disfluent speech, using an interactive text adventure story to provide listeners with a firsthand experience of living with a stammer. The episode begins by defining terms like "disfluent speech," "stammer," and "stutter," explaining the neurological basis of the condition and referencing the film "The King's Speech" as an example of stammering in the media. The interactive story follows the character, Alison Gray, as she navigates a day filled with social interactions, including a job interview. The story uses colors to indicate the difficulty of speaking different dialogue options, with green being the easiest and red being the most difficult. Through Alison's experiences, listeners encounter the challenges of introducing oneself, making phone calls, and participating in conversations. The episode explores the character's feelings of frustration, anxiety, and self-doubt, as well as their determination to be genuine and speak their mind despite the difficulties. The story also touches upon the character's past experiences with therapy and school interactions, highlighting the importance of understanding the neurological basis of stuttering and the potential for misdiagnosis. The episode concludes with the character's job interview, where they choose to disclose their stammer before the interview begins. The interview itself is a challenging experience, but the character's determination and self-acceptance shine through. The episode ends with the character reflecting on their experiences and the importance of acceptance in overcoming the challenges of stuttering. The author of the interactive fiction story, Alice and Grey, shares insights into the inspiration behind the story, revealing that it is based on her own experiences with stuttering and the challenges of seeking professional help.

Outlines

00:00:00

Understanding Disfluent Speech and the Interactive Story

This chapter introduces the concept of disfluent speech, defines terms like "stammer" and "stutter," and explains the neurological basis of the condition. It also introduces the interactive story, "Alice and Grey," which follows the character, Alison Gray, as she navigates a day filled with social interactions and a job interview.

00:00:53

Alison's Day Begins: Challenges and Coping Mechanisms

This chapter delves into Alison's daily experiences, highlighting the challenges she faces in introducing herself, making phone calls, and participating in conversations. It explores her feelings of frustration, anxiety, and self-doubt, as well as her determination to be genuine and speak her mind despite the difficulties.

00:05:45

Flashbacks and the Impact of Past Experiences

This chapter explores Alison's past experiences with therapy and school interactions, highlighting the importance of understanding the neurological basis of stuttering and the potential for misdiagnosis. It also shows how these past experiences continue to influence her feelings of self-doubt and anxiety.

00:09:57

Preparing for the Interview and Disclosing the Stammer

This chapter focuses on Alison's preparation for her job interview, highlighting her determination to make a good impression and prove to herself and others that she can succeed despite her speech impediment. It also explores her decision to disclose her stammer before the interview begins.

00:10:11

The Job Interview: Challenges and Triumphs

This chapter details Alison's job interview experience, highlighting the challenges she faces in articulating her skills and goals, experiencing blocks in her speech, and feeling uncertain about her performance. It also showcases her determination and self-acceptance in the face of these challenges.

01:56:21

The Aftermath and Seeking Support

This chapter explores Alison's feelings after the job interview, including her disappointment at not getting the job and her struggle with the possibility that disclosing her stammer was a mistake. It also highlights the importance of seeking support from friends and family.

02:05:30

Acceptance and the Author's Insights

This chapter focuses on Alison's conversation with her friend, Clementine, where she shares her feelings about stuttering and the challenges it presents. It highlights the importance of acceptance in overcoming the challenges of stuttering and provides insights from the author of the interactive fiction story, Alice and Grey, about the inspiration behind the story.

Keywords

Q&A

• What are some common symptoms of disfluent speech?

  Common symptoms include repeating sounds, syllables, or words, prolonging certain sounds, experiencing long pauses or blocks, and feeling frustrated while speaking.

• What is the neurological basis of disfluent speech?

  Experts believe that disfluent speech is caused by abnormal neural connections in the brain, affecting the communication between the brain and the speech muscles.

• How does the interactive story in this episode use color to indicate difficulty?

  The story uses different colors to represent the difficulty of speaking different dialogue options, with green being the easiest, yellow being more difficult, and red being the most difficult.

• What is the character's main challenge in the story?

  The character's main challenge is to navigate a day filled with social interactions and a job interview while dealing with their stutter and the feelings of frustration and anxiety it brings.

• How does the character's experience with their stutter affect their interactions with others?

  The character's stutter often leads to awkward moments, misunderstandings, and feelings of embarrassment. It also makes it difficult for them to fully participate in conversations and express themselves freely.

• What is the character's approach to dealing with their stutter?

  The character chooses to speak their mind despite the challenges, even if it means getting stuck or feeling awkward. They are determined to be genuine and avoid censoring themselves.

• What are some of the techniques the character uses to manage their stutter?

  The character uses various techniques, including paraphrasing, using filler words, changing their rhythm and tone, and counting down from three to build momentum.

• How does the character's past experience with their stutter affect their present?

  The character's past experiences, including therapy sessions and school interactions, continue to influence their feelings of self-doubt and anxiety. They struggle with the lingering effects of feeling misunderstood and blamed for their condition.

• What is the character's ultimate goal in the story?

  The character's ultimate goal is to overcome the challenges of their stutter and make a good impression at their job interview. They want to prove to themselves and others that they can succeed despite their speech impediment.

Show Notes