Christophe Dupuis on BBC Sussex & Surrey Radio Interview

Brian Sellers was interviewed live on the radio this afternoon with his wife and sister, talking about his experiences with stuttering and with The McGuire Programme.

QUOTE: "Being on the radio is something that I've always wanted to do, but never thought would be possible until I started in the McGP a little over two years ago. A quick round of thanks to all my McGP buddies, my friends, and of course my amazing wife and family - without all of you, none of this would be possible."

Convocation Radio

CR 51: Brian Sellers of The Maguire Programme Helps Support Stutterers

For most of us, speaking fluently comes naturally. But if you have a stutter, getting the words out can be a real struggle. Some sounds are repeated or prolonged or a word gets stuck and doesn’t come out at all. At times it’s impossible even to say your own name or where you live, which can cause huge distress and embarrassment.

Stammering or stuttering (it’s the same thing) affects more than 70 million people globally – that’s about 1% of the world’s population. It’s a neurological condition, based on the brain’s wiring. But other factors, like genetics, also play a part. Becky Milligan examines why some people develop a stammer, what treatments are available and whether stammering can ever be cured.

Becky talks to Dr Deryk Beal from Holland Bloorview Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital, to find out how the brain of someone who stutters is different from someone with no stutter; she visits the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children where 12 year-old Sam is getting treatment from speech therapist Kevin Fower; we hear from 22 year-old Rishabh Panchamia, who was so ashamed of his stammer he considered suicide. He’s now found fluency with the help of the McGuire programme. And Becky meets Betony Kelly who tells us that being open about having a stammer has helped her to accept and be proud of it as part of her identity.

(Photo: Rishabh Panchamia playing snooker. Credit: BBC Copyright - Rishabh Panchamia)

The Why Factor

The Why Factor: Stammering

Ciaran overcame a stutter and is now helping others.
LUNCHTIME WITH MUIREANN
WRITTEN BY: TODAY FM DATE: 10 MAR 2016

Oscar-winning film raising awareness of stutters and stammers
With the recent Oscar success of the Irish short film 'Stutterer', listener Ciaran McGonagle got in touch in the hope that people who have a stutter know there is help available.

He dropped into the studio to talk to Anton about overcoming his stutter and how he is now helping others overcome theirs.

After we featured a couple of interviews with Oscar-winning Irish film-maker Benjamin Cleary about his short film 'Stutterer', Ciaran sent us an email:

“Hi Anton, I began to stutter at around the age of 4. I was quite 'overt', meaning it was quite pronounced up until my teenage years when I started to try to cover up my stutter. I learned tricks and techniques that aided me in hiding who I really was. 

These techniques, however, only really worked in certain situations and when the pressure was on my speech would fall apart and my confidence would take a severe blow. 

I continued to hide my stutter from everyone, including myself, until my early twenties when I realized that I really had to address the problem.  It was causing huge frustrations in my career and personal life.”

Ciaran went on to describe how he overcame his stutter…

He tells Anton how he grew up in Donegal and for as long as he can remember he’s had a stutter. He was what you’d call ‘OVERT’ – it was obvious for all to hear. He remained OVERT until his teenage years – when he became self-conscious of his stutter, becoming COVERT, using techniques to hide his stutter. He tells Anton having a stutter was like an ice-berg – 10% of the problem is the physical stutter – 90% is an emotional struggle.

In 2006, aged 26, he rang Joe O’Donnell in The McGuire Programme but it took two years to pluck up the courage to attend his first class.  

It worked, and Ciaran now helps others to overcome their stutters.

He reveals that 90% of stutterers can’t say their own name and the cause of a stutter is unknown – it could be a traumatic experience or illness. The McGuire Programme has around 9,000 members worldwide and 1,500 in Ireland alone. 

You can contact the McGuire Programme through stammering.ie

McGuire Program DE

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