by Lori Melnitsky, MA CCC-SLP
For most of my life, I wanted just one thing: fluency.
I started stuttering when I was around 4 years old, and from that moment on, I dreamed about what life would be like if I could just talk like everyone else. If I could get through a sentence without blocking. If I could pick up the phone without my heart racing. If I could introduce myself without feeling embarrassed before I even said my name.
I tried speech therapy as a child, but it felt like a long list of rules—focus, , breathe, relax. It did not work, but the moment I left the therapy room, my stutter came roaring back. And every time that happened, I felt like I was failing.
Coming Back to Therapy as an Adult
For a long time, I gave up. I accepted that fluency just wasn’t in the cards for me. But deep down, that dream never fully went away.
As an adult, I realized my stutter was still holding me back. I avoided speaking up at work. I passed up social invitations if I thought I’d have to introduce myself to new people. I even hesitated to go after opportunities I really wanted because I didn’t trust my own voice.
That’s when I decided to give speech therapy one more try. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I knew one thing for sure: I wanted fluency. I was tired of struggling. I wanted speech to finally feel easy.
What I Wanted vs. What I Found
I walked into therapy hoping for fluency. What I found was something much bigger.
Yes, my therapist taught me techniques to smooth out my speech, and yes, I practiced strategies to manage stuttering moments—but the real change happened when I started to understand my own relationship with speaking.
I had spent decades believing fluency was the only path to confidence. But in therapy, I learned that confidence comes from communication, not perfection. I discovered that I could speak with power and clarity, even if I wasn’t perfectly fluent. I learned how to stay in conversations instead of running from them.
And, ironically, the less pressure I put on myself to be fluent, the more fluency started to come. Because I wasn’t constantly fighting myself anymore.
The Freedom to Speak—Fluent or Not
Do I still want fluency? Absolutely. That desire never went away. But today, it’s not the only thing I want. I want to connect with people. I want to express my ideas. I want to show up fully, no matter how my words come out.
Therapy gave me the tools to speak more fluently, but more importantly, it gave me the freedom to speak without fear.
If You’re An Adult Who Stutters, Here’s What I Want You to Know
It’s okay to want fluency. I still do. But don’t let that desire keep you from living your life right now. Speech therapy for adults isn’t just about speaking techniques—it’s about learning how to take up space with your voice.
You don’t have to wait for perfect fluency to start speaking with confidence. Your voice, just as it is today, deserves to be heard.
And if you’re wondering whether it’s too late, trust me—it’s not.
please email me at Lori@allislandspeech.com
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