The Chennai chapter has completed a course for adults stammerers after 9th
weekly meeting on 29.03.2009. I wanted to share my experience in this course
with this group. The following observations are made from this adult group
experience only and not from any thing else..
Group strength.
Generally 10 pws attended weekly meetings apart from our TISA- Chennai chapter core group members. 7 pws are below 25 years old and the remaining are in the 40s. 1 pws came from Vellore which is 110 km from Chennai. Another one came from Mahabalipuram which is 60 km away.
Performance
The 7 pws under 25s have done exceptionally well. The other 3 are also trying
hard to improve their performance..
Feed back from pws
All the pws has informed that they got over from fear and shame and not minding to speak with stammering. Thanks to Dr.Sachin, who is again and again stressing this point of accepting first our stammering whole heartily.
Outstanding PWS
One pws working as soft ware professional has always having the habit of going
late for a group discussion seminar to avoid telling his name. Now he is  going
regularly in time and telling his name. Also heuse to  avoid taking sessions to
his colleges. But last week he took a session which ran to …..hold your breath
… 2 hours. Hats off to him.
Best Therapy
Speaking with simple sentences ( about 5 or 6 words in each sentence) with a 2
or 3 sec pause from one sentence to another is the best what we found out.. The PWSs are always in the habit of speaking continuously using so many unnecessary words without any meanings.. This therapy is very effective to all.
Future course of action
We are going to conduct monthly meetings from April 09 onwards in the last
Sunday of every month for which we have booked the YWCA conference hall up to end of this year. This will also act as a contact center for Chennai chapter. We are also going to conduct programme for school children in June’2009. Then we are planning to arrange again an all India TISA meet under Dr.Sachin on 24th Jan’2010 inviting press and TV reporters. On that occasion, we are planning to show to them atleast 5 adult + 5 students who over come their  stammering. Here what I mean is 95% normal speech is called ‘overcoming stammering’.
My Confidence level
Here I wish to say about my confidence level for the benefit of other chapter
coordinators. Actually I started this weekly course fully  depended on Mr.
Sivasuramanian’s teaching skill as I never took class in my life. Because of
his only daughter arrival from UK, he is unable to come for the first 3
meetings. Ist meeting I managed with a help of Dr.Sachin. For the next meet, I
spent a entire Saturday and ½ a day in Sunday for how to conduct the meeting.Â
some how I managed the second class. But believe me, for the last 3 classes I
never spend a minute for how to take class. It is coming fluently. As I only
prepared all the lesions, I only used to take class for the lesion part.
Mr.Sivasubramanian, usually talks about psychological part. I think, I will
overcome my stammering (ofcourse 95%) before August’2009. So great benefit to the Coordinators.
Special Feature of this course
As stammering is mostly related to mind, we devoted 90% of the course time to
psychological part and 10% only to for therapy as many adults are unwilling to
change their speaking pattern.. But we have to watch the results.
Acknowledgement.
In this connection, I wish to thank all those who contributed one way or another
to make this event as a big successes.
The PWSs who attended our course regularly.
YWCA management who provided accommodation and behaved in a dignified manner
throughout yhe course period.
Dr.Sachin. ( Don’t want to elaborate).
TISA core group members Mr.Sivasubramanian, Mr.Vishal & Mr. Hasssanad, as
without their continuous support, we should not come to this level.
Mr.Balasubramanian form Madurai as his speech on 24th Jan boosted the Chennai chapter image.
Of course our press particularly “Thinathathi†and “Tamizhan TVâ€as
without their support, the 24th event might have been a low key affair.
All our friends who helped for this cause.
Last but not least, to my wife and to Sivasubramanian’s wife for tolerating us and allowing to attend for the Sunday meetings, because, both are working
women  and holiday on Sundays only.
ALL ENDS WELL. THANKS ONCE AGAIN TO ONE AND ALL.
Bye for now.
Regards,
V. Manimaran
Mobile: 098842 89989
(Ed. I am really very sorry for not being able to edit out those funny machine characters which slip in when you try to copy and paste.. But anyone can see what a wonderful job Chennai group has done – and the steady coordination provided by Mani! Thank you sir!)
