Greetings, everyone! My name is Allyson Alford, and I am a person who stutters. I am ecstatic to be the person writing the blogs you will see soon!
My Story
I started speech therapy at the tender age of six. For years, I went to speech therapy to get help for my stutter. After going for roughly four years, I begged my parents to pull me from the class because at ten years old, it was not “cool” to go to speech therapy.
There I went, trying to tackle this on my own. As I got older, I would research methods to relieve me from stuttering. These methods were rendered useless, and I ended up spending the first half of my life feeling defeated because of my speech. I eventually tried speech therapy again as an adult. While I was more fluent at times, I found that the severity of my stutter kept coming back.
After trying everything under the sun, I realized that I needed to face reality— I stuttered. I didn’t “outgrow” it. It grew with me, and I grew with it. I decided that it was time to change the narrative. Using my blog, I began writing about my speech for some of my weekly posts. Doing this has been healing and has helped me become more confident in my speech.
Background
In 2018, I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in English with a minor in Theater Arts from the University of Mississippi. Writing has always been an activity I’ve enjoyed, as it was the one way I could fluently express myself.
However, writing was about more than fluency. It was a way in which I allowed myself to show up as I am authentically and to have fun while doing so. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to do the same with my speech— show up authentically and not live stuck in fear.
What to Expect
This blog is your ultimate, fun-to-read guide to learning more about stuttering and those who live with it. Here, we will answer all of your questions and concerns related to stuttering, have interviews with others in the stuttering community, and much more!
Are you Ready?
I most certainly am! Make sure you’re following FRIENDS on social media to stay up to date on when blogs are uploaded and for your opportunity to ask questions about stuttering. I’m looking forward to writing for FRIENDS!
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