How Stuttering is Invisible

To the common eye, stuttering is noticeable. When someone prolongs their sounds, repeats words or phrases, or has a block, people can see and hear whenever it happens. However, stuttering is something that actually is more invisible than visible. Stuttering is basically like an iceberg; you can only see the tip of it. Stutterers have so much more going on underneath the surface, emotionally and mentally that surrounding individuals can’t see or even begin to understand. Stuttering is more than just what you see and hear, because it includes thoughts and feelings about communication in general which shows how it is like an invisible condition because no one can fully understand what it is unless you have it. 

There are two important reasons as to why stuttering is invisible; one of them being that stuttering is variable. Many people don’t know that stuttering is a variable disorder, and expect people to just talk and sound the same every time they speak. Being variable means that stuttering changes intensity and frequency over time. Most people who stutter only stutter sometimes, in random situations, and not every time they speak. For many stutterers, this is frustrating because they never know when they will be fluent or not. Variability is also confusing for the listeners, because when a stutterer is fluent one time it doesn’t mean they will be all the time. Regardless of if you hear a stutterer stutter or not, the most important thing is that you let them finish talking, because that is what really matters. 

Secondly, stuttering is an invisible condition because it can be concealable. A lot of stutterers, if not most, are able to conceal their stutter in many situations. Many just opt out of talking, such as not participating in class or social activities so people can’t tell that they are stuttering. Stutterers also have the ability to tell when they are going to stutter. It’s an indescribable feeling, but we know in different situations that we will stutter for sure, or we will be completely fluent. So when people do get the feeling that they are going to stutter on a specific word, they change it for another such as using “train track” instead of “railroad.” Because they can change the words, the stutter is hidden so the listener doesn't know that inside, the stutter is invisible at that moment. 

So because stuttering is an invisible disorder, stutterers have the ability to share with their community that they stutter.