Speak the speech
Hold that thought, Hamlet. I trip on my tongue a lot!
Speech for an Ataxian is a huge issue. Slurred speech is often the first and most obvious outward symptom of Ataxia. That's another reason I look forward to spending time on a scooter. Skeeter doesn’t engage me in conversation, or hear and comment on my slurred speech. She just moves down the road in silence. I prefer to be around family and friends who know it’s just impaired coordination and not dementia, but Skeeter’s also very understanding. However, I was missing chats with my neighbors and friends when I scooted by. Being able to visit was one of the initial attractions to scooting. My cousin said I sounded like a hearing impaired person; that's probably a good description.
I had to realize my problem was reluctance to speak (more under my control) avoiding embarrassment, as well as the slurring that comes with Ataxia (less under my control). When talking on the phone or to strangers, I'm learning to put my speech impairment out there and proceed very deliberately and slowly. I'll say, "Don't assume it's your hearing. Assume it's my speech and say so if you don't understand me." The good news, is that my speech is intelligible at this point in time. I've said this before, but many people are relieved to: not have to own up to their own hearing issue, not embarrass the speaker, or not pretend to understand (the telltale blank stare). A speech therapist also encouraged belly breathing for my "running out of air" issue. If I just knew what belly breathing was.
Many tools out there for people with hearing and speech impairments (IPhone's Siri, voice-recognition computer software) work well for non–Ataxians. But, it's hard to translate slurred speech. I just need to be less self-conscious and speak more often. Given a choice and there's someone else around, I'll walk right past a ringing phone or rely on caller ID. Fortunately, I've never been known to be much of a conversationalist, so family and friends don't see a big difference in quantity. Quality is another issue.
It's interesting that people who haven't spoken to me in awhile actually think they hear improvement. "Are you getting better?" they ask. Nope, just trying harder. The tongue is like any other muscle--use it or lose it. Earl, my Nazi trainer, pushes my body and my language skills (puh, puh, puh, etc.) on a regular basis. It's the only time he can tell me what to do and say and I actually do it without an argument, smart crack, inappropriate gesture, or the look. Must be a welcome change; unfortunately for him, it's training–specific.
Heidi often reminds me to hold my cell phone away from my face, so I don't inadvertently mute or disconnect the call. I'm also more understandable if I don't press the heel of my hand into my chin, which I have a habit of doing frequently. She offers a reminder by quietly pulling my hand away from my face (more like my mother than my daughter). My tendency is to feel defensive and overreact, but Heidi's ready for that. She doesn't rise to the bait, is more subtle than my mother would have been, and (sigh) right.
The lesson: Get it out there and speak the speech.
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| Dragon Naturally-speaking voice-recognition software |
It's interesting that people who haven't spoken to me in awhile actually think they hear improvement. "Are you getting better?" they ask. Nope, just trying harder. The tongue is like any other muscle--use it or lose it. Earl, my Nazi trainer, pushes my body and my language skills (puh, puh, puh, etc.) on a regular basis. It's the only time he can tell me what to do and say and I actually do it without an argument, smart crack, inappropriate gesture, or the look. Must be a welcome change; unfortunately for him, it's training–specific.
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| I'm sure I'd benefit from speech therapy from this guy |
The lesson: Get it out there and speak the speech.
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| An opinion? What a shock! |
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