As a former NFL Player and an Award-winning writer, director and producer of film, Michael Attardi is proof that a stutter doesn’t have to hold you back. He now runs his own successful sports publication just outside of Orlando called the Florida Sporting News. Michael is an inspiration to his three sons and the stuttering community. He finds it important to share his success with all his mentors.
EMBRACING THE challenge
Do you remember when you first began to stutter?
I remember being in kindergarten at a Catholic school and my teacher yelling at me. “Stop stuttering your words!” I was kicked out of school because of too many fights. If someone teased me, I was going to chase them down. I didn’t like to be teased and I stood up for myself at a young age. That is what my parents taught me. Back in the 70’s, no one had the answers or help like we do today. I didn’t like violence. I remember after each fight, I would win, and walk home crying because I didn’t want to fight.
Did you seek treatment? Did it help? In 4th grade, the school had me see a speech therapist. He was a great guy but he was making the problem worse. He kept on asking me to repeat my words. He even said that I should start talking like Howard Cosell and John F. Kennedy. They had speech issues and their slow speech process might work. There was no way I was going to start talking like Howard Cosell. That was an invitation to more potential teasing and fights.
Tell us about your experience with stuttering as a child. As you can expect, I was being bullied and had to fight all the time to protect myself. My parents put me into Karate and boxing classes and I learned how to protect myself. Kids knew that if they teased me, I was going to come after them. By 4th grade, the kids I fought all became my best friends and the teasing stopped. That was the 70’s. Today, I promote a more peaceful way of handling situations. I look people in the eye and address the issue. Most people feel really bad and apologize.
Has your stuttering gotten worse or better since you were younger? How? My speech impediment has gotten much better. I have learned how to control my issues. When I slow down and concentrate on what I’m about to say, speaking is fluent and natural. When I am tired, needing sleep, my wife reminds me that I am stuttering. The secret is the get plenty of rest and concentrate on what you’re saying.
How did it affect you growing up? Growing up, I had many people say “You Can’t Do That!" and I would say, “Yes I Can!” I have always reached for the impossible. I didn’t mind being the underdog, in fact, I wanted to be the person that no one believed in. That made me stronger. That is what made it even more special. Whenever I achieved any goals in my life, I thanked the people that were against my success. It was my strong belief in God that helped me deal with all of my challenges. In so many ways, I feel like I have been a messenger to help others who struggle with a speech impediment.
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