Different Microaggressions Surrounding Stuttering

You may not realize or be aware of it, but many people say microaggressions towards stutterers that can impact them negatively. Most, if not all of the people who stutter have had an encounter with someone who said or did something that probably should not have happened. For example, a very common microaggression is when somebody tries to finish a stuttering sentence. They may think they are trying to help, because the stutterer is taking time trying to say something, but in reality it makes the stutterer feel like they aren’t being heard. The greatest accomplishment for someone who stutters is being able to say exactly what they want to say, so being interrupted does not help in any way. 

Another microaggression stutterers face pretty commonly is when the person or people they are talking to tell them to “slow down” and “take deep breaths.” The stutterer knows how they are talking, and knows that slowing down and deep breathing can help but no one can really know how they are feeling in the moment. Stutterers know the best way to help themselves in whatever situation they are in, so when others try and “help” them, it can make them feel embarrassed. 

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Pretty commonly, many stutterers also face "jokes" from people about their stutter. For example, when I say my name sometimes I stutter on the first letter, and people often say "Oh did you forget your name or something?" in a joking matter. I usually just go along with it, because sometimes its not worth the time trying to explain I have a speaking disability but this happens very often to stutterers and can make them feel really embarrassed. Whether someone is just nervous and stutters, or someone actually has a speaking disability, it's not okay to joke about the way they speak.