'I suddenly started stammering at eight years old, and one unexpected thing triggered it'

Most people can recall that dreaded feeling of being asked to read aloud during an English class in school.

But for Tom Evans, his anxiety went far beyond the fear of reading a paragraph out loud in front of his classmates – he couldn’t physically get his words out.

The 40-year-old, from Cheadle Hulme, had no issues with his speech until he suddenly started stammering at eight-years-old. The communications officer, who works for Tameside Council, found himself battling to form words despite knowing exactly what he wanted to say – resulting in long pauses and sound repetitions.

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Tom now believes the stammer was caused by general nervousness over moving up a year in school.

But his stuttering wasn’t temporary – with the speech condition having a lasting impact on his childhood and young adult life.

“It first came out when I was eight-years-old,” Tom told the Manchester Evening News. “I was becoming nervous about things in my little brain.

“I was nervous about going from the junior section of primary school into the senior section. For some reason, that began this stammer which manifested itself in me.”

A stammer, also known as stuttering, is a speech disorder characterised by interruptions in the flow of speech.

These interruptions can take the form of repeated sounds, syllables, or words as well as prolonged sounds or blocks where the person is unable to produce speech momentarily.

Although people who stammer generally know what they want to say, they may have difficulty coordinating their speech muscles, leading to these disruptions. The severity of stammering can vary and may be influenced by factors such as stress, nervousness or excitement.

Tom says he faced many struggles growing up, particularly during drama lessons and times where he had to speak for himself.

He also began experiencing ‘fear words’ – words than begin with the letter D – finding them much more difficult to say than others.

“I don’t like saying sounds that begin with D,” he added. “If there was a dog over the road, and someone is interested in it, I might find it harder to say, ‘Look at that dog’ because it’s a feared word.

“It builds up and up and I would struggle to get my words out on a consistent daily basis. It made it a lot harder to engage with friends, say what you wanted to say and just be who you wanted to be.”

Tom describes his stutter as an “opaque window” where he knows his outcome is on the opposite side but he doesn’t know how to get there.

“When you try and get your word out, you get fearful of what you want to say so it makes the stammer worse,” he said.

“I was bullied a bit, not excessively, but I was picked on. There were countless times when the class would be reading out loud from a book and everyone would say a paragraph or two.

“It’s that fear of the creeping death as it gets closer and closer to you. I can recall making excuses to go and use the bathroom just to get out and sit on the toilet waiting for my turn to pass.

“It’s just a sad thing to go through, really. Everyone knows why you’ve made your excuses to leave the room but you still just do it anyway. It’s easier for you and everyone else.”

At the age of 16, Tom joined the McGuire Programme, a speech course that teaches people how to manage their stammer using costal breathing and voice projection techniques.

His journey saw him speak in front of 100 people in Manchester city centre, a challenge he described as a “daunting but life-changing experience”.

Tom said the course opened many doors for him – even allowing him to give a speech at his own wedding this year.

“I’m feeling especially proud of myself,” Tom, who now engages in public speaking, told the MEN.

“Having a stammer has encouraged me to speak more than if I didn’t have one in the first place. It’s brought out more desire for me to speak. It’s strengthened my speaking skills and I’m much better at speaking to people and being clear in what I’m saying.

“It’s been a journey and I’m really proud of my speech right now and the work I’ve put in to get to this point.”

Tom says there’s one thing to avoid when speaking to someone with a stammer. “A lot of people don’t like it when others finish their sentences for them,” he said.

“If they were given the time to finish their sentence, I think they would find that a lot more respectful.

“I don’t think the awareness is there for people to know how to speak to someone with a stammer. Just give them a bit of time to show that you’re listening and you’re patient. It’s something a lot of people will prefer.

“Stammering can be isolating and is often misunderstood, being wrongly associated with confidence issues or learning disabilities. I believe there’s real value in sharing how stammering can be managed and overcome.”