NI politician reveals that his childhood was ‘wrecked’ by bullies because of his stammer - and calls for more help for others with speech difficulties

Mr Lewis, a councillor in Newry, Mourne and Down said: “To those who know me, it’s no secret I have a stammer. As an adult I have learned to control it. I focus my thoughts and apply myself to a topic or situation with confidence in the knowledge that I am safe and within the company of equals, if not friends.

“As someone whose childhood was effectively wrecked, academically stifled and hounded by bullying, I know too well the difficulties faced by many young people who are curtailed by speech difficulties.

“More must be done to offer early intervention, focus resources, and support young people by ensuring a spotlight is shone on the causes of stammering, not just the physical manifestations of how it affects breathing, word formation and speech.”

Mr Lewis added: “I myself was passed off from school onto the trust, breathing techniques, reading a book slowly from front to back, going over the words again and again, pushed to breaking point, forced and encouraged to stammer in public so as I became used to people’s reactions, taught how to deal with those reactions.

“None of this addressed the actual problem and in fact, I’d argue, made it worse. From what I’ve heard of today’s methods, nothing much has changed. Emotional difficulties and anxiety is not as a result of stammering but the issues which manifest it.

“The Education Authority must recognise this in isolation and not overlook it because a child isn’t experiencing other learning difficulties. You can be effectively mute but intelligent.”

He added: “As a child I can remember being laughed at in shops, unable to tell the assistant what I wanted. In school I dreaded group activities - ‘get to know you’ ice breaker games were pure torture.

“On the bus for many years I wrote down where I wanted to go. Right up until my early twenties I would have carried a pen and paper in case I needed to write down what I wanted to say.

“Worry, anxiety, gut wrenching sickness, all the feelings of built-up nervousness, as I prepared to open my mouth and attempt to speak.

“Nobody can understand or begin to imagine the absolute complete fear of failure any young child experiences when put into the situation where you are forced to speak.”