THE SPEECH FOUNDATION in Pune offers sustainable, practical and workable solutions to help develop speech fluency and self-confidence. Our programmes have changed the lives of hundreds of stammerers. This year, let one of our success stories be yours. Here is what some recovering students and professional colleagues say about The Speech Foundation’s courses:


"Ajit Harisinghani has presented a comprehensive solution to stammering which will benefit stammerers of all ages, parents of children who stammer, medical and paramedical specialists. This program will be useful to anyone interested in the problem of stammering."
- Ramesh K.Oza, Speech Pathologist, Former Head, Dept. of Speech Pathology, Jaslok Hospital, Bombay.

"A straight foward home-therapy plan to benefit any stammerer. This program takes a logical look at stammering."
- Dr.M.N.Palsane, Head, Dept. of Psychology, University of Poona.

"I listened to your tapes and found them highly motivational, as well as containing useful therapy guidelines and techniques."
- Nirmala Ferrao, Editor, Health & Nutrition.

"This Self-Help Program is a must for any stammerer who wants to work towards developing speech fluency."
- Dr.R.T.Mehta, Surgeon, Dahanu Road, Maharashtra.

"Quite simply, the only completely convincing treatment plan for stammering I have come across."
- Dr.C.R.Desai, E.N.T.Surgeon, Pune.

" I used this program for just one month and achieved miraculous results. My stammering has almost disappeared. I even bagged the first prize in my school elocution contest!"
- S.Pandit, Std.X Student, Bokaro, Bihar.

"Thanks to this program, I am on the road to recovery from stammering."
- R.Sukumar, Computer Analyst, Bombay.

" Hello Ajitji, I hope this mail reaches you in good spirits. I wanted to give you a mail only after I find some improvement, that is why I did not mail you for a long time. I am doing my practice everyday and have found a lot of improvement. I am only concerned whether this will last. I will try to follow your tips as far as possible so as to make the improvement stay. Even my friends and relatives have found a lot of change. We have holidays now for a few days, so I am trying to enjoy as much as I can. I hope you can find time to reply soon. V.Vishwanath. Std. X student. Hyderabad..

"I have been following this program for the last 4 weeks. It has helped not only my speech fluency but also my mental attitude."
- Rajiv P. Pharmacologist, Bombay.

Respected Ajit Harisinghani,

Sir ,it was a pleasure to meet you..Your sessions were very good and i cannot explain you how much it altered my way of thinking. Actually stammering was a part of my unpleasant attitude.You helped me to love myself and take a friendly approach towards circumstances and simultaneously with myself. The problem was with my judging and strict harsh attitude with myself which only ridiculed and mocked me giving me scarce chance for forgiveness and improvement. Sir only you made me accept my sensitivity, only you made me realize that sensitivity is a gift, 'dont lose it'.
You helped me to use my sensitivity not against myself. Sir you took a very realistic,simple,sensible approach towards my attitude.You did not promise me pleasant, fairy tale like easy life. Sir it takes courage and great sincerity towards a profession or towards a patient to make him realize the truth. It requires courage to tell the patient that life is not easy nor is it difficult. You showed me no dreams.
Sir i am not getting any words to express my gratitude towards you but a sincere,
'THANK YOU'.
Your truly,
Akshay Agnihotri, Aurangabad

Dear Doctor ,

I am sure that this mail will find u in the very best of health.
Last Monday i heard ur voice over the radio (vividh bharati) I am sure that the generous advice that u dispersed over the radio would be of immense help to millions of people suffering from different kind of speech problems. I am feeling a lot better after the sessions I have had with u.but sometimes I do get some hang-ups and find myself in troubled waters. U have helped me a lot in overcoming substantially, a problem that had haunted me for long years.
Closing with respectful regards,

Hemant Parulekar.

Hello Sir,

It used to be a dreadful situation for me whenever I had to speak in a group or in a meeting. I used to avoid group meetings. After undergoing the personal contact program, there has been a lot of changes in me. There's been a change in my attitude towards speech. Stammering is no more a hurdle for me even though I do stammer occassionally. I just take it my stride. This course has given me confidence to face any situation.

I would like to congratulate Mr. Ajit for this wonderful program.

Thanks,

Ajit Malleri

I very much enjoyed the winter 2003 edition of Speaking out, especially the article byAjit Harisinghani. In essence, the article encouraged taking a responsible attitude to improving stammering, but not trying to hard. I guess it extolled the virtues of a relaxed attitude to improving - something stammerers are not good at achieving. He is quite correct in saying that therapy can achieve good improvement, the difficult bit is in maintaining it. In my own case, I had therapy based on slowed, prolonged speech associated with breathing, relaxation etc. Even though it worked well, I suffered from severe relapse, sometimes as long as 2 years after the therapy. I have now been fluent for over 10 years and still use some level of control. Even after all this time, I still think about stammering every day, but no longer shy away from the phone, telling jokes etc.

For me, knowing that I have a system to apply is a great comfort (I often speak quite slowly and take care to soften hard letters such as P's & B's). Speaking slowly and in a controlled manner is seen as a sign of confidence in ones ability and is a very good technique to use in an argument as it upsets the opposition immensely! I also improved when I realised that I had gone through so many difficult situations with my speech, that I had nothing left to be embarrassed about. I accepted it, applied the technique and kept going. In addition, I also found it helpful to use the phone a lot such that the fear reduced in time. I know that all stammers are different and that different people react and respond in different ways. I'm sure that accepting the stammer and using a technique to gradually improve is the way forward.

Ray Williams
Kinnersley
Worcester
Ray Williams - Business Manager
Envar - Intelligent environmental solutions