Stuttering run raises funds for research and treatment

Stuttering is a sometimes hidden and often misunderstood condition, where speech disruptions hamper a person’s ability to communicate.

Jonathan Frogley, a Sydney-based professional who has lived with stuttering since childhood, is raising awareness and community funding for research with a full-day run at Narrabeen Lagoon on Friday 29 May.

“Everyone knows at least someone who stutters. Unfortunately, lots of people who stutter stay quiet. They don’t go out and fully live their lives because they’re too anxious,” he said.

“Many people who stutter can feel left out or unheard. Noone really wants to talk about stuttering and that can take a toll on your mental health.”

Jonathan understands these challenges better than most. His stuttering came on at an early age and he struggled with its impact through school and university.

“When I was a little kid, I could speak just fine. Then when I was in year 2 at school, I started to stutter practically overnight,” he said.

“Later I became more conscious of my stuttering. I kept thinking what if I can’t make friends, work a regular job or live a normal life?”

Jonathan’s experience growing up is common for people who stutter, who are vulnerable to to social isolation. And as many as two-third of those affected experience social anxiety.

“Studies show the quality-of-life impairment of stuttering is equivalent to that of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer,” said Associate Professor Robyn Lowe from the Australian Stuttering Research Centre at UTS.

“Approximately 1 per cent of the population stutters. But despite its prevalence and the huge burden it places on people who are living with it, little research has focussed on it compared to those conditions.”

“Thankfully, this research is continuing and we’re building knowledge about its causes, its impacts on people, and most importantly, how to deal with it clinically.”

It’s this critical research Jonathan is raising funds to support. All proceeds of his fundraising run will be donated to the Australian Stuttering Research Centre.

The team at the Centre are at the forefront of stuttering research globally, and operate an in-person and online clinic where speech pathologists treat children, teenagers, and adults who stutter.

They have developed a world-leading range of treatment programs for stuttering, each named for a suburb in Sydney:

• The Lidcombe Program and Westmead Program are designed for young children.
• The Camperdown Program helps adults and teenagers with a range of practical techniques to manage stuttering in their daily lives.
• The iGlebe online program is designed to help adults who stutter with their social anxiety.

“I joke with the team that if I raise enough money, we can name the next program Narrabeen,” said Jonathan Frogley.

He learned one of the techniques he uses every day to manage his stuttering through the Camperdown Program.

“It’s called speech restructuring, where you run your speech through a sentence and join all of the words together. If there’s a word coming up with a sharp sound, I kind of roll into it. The technique works great,” he said.

“When I get stressed out or anxious, it can be hard to implement techniques and my stuttering gets worse. I’m always trying to manage my anxiety and the iGlebe Program helps with that.”