Ladera Ranch Boy Teaches World It’s Ok to Stutter

(Ladera Ranch, CA) -- Twelve-year old Ladera Ranch resident, Lane Bucher, wants people to know that it is “ok to stutter.”

So much so, that he set out on a journey two years ago – as a 10-year old, to make a documentary film (www.oktostutter.com) about a condition he knows well – stuttering. As a four-year old, Lane’s speech patterns – while still developing, had noticeable repetitions.

“I was a full-time stay at home mom,” recalled his Mom Sarah Bucher. “He was at Montessori school at the time. He is our only child – so we didn’t have anything to compare his speech patterns with. As parents, we simply get used to our kids and how they talk.”

“But one time it just dawned on me,” Bucher said. She had just picked Lane up from school and they were talking in the car about his day. She in the front seat. He in the back. Just a regular drive home from school that so many parents do.

“After he had like 10 or 11 repetitions and thoughts, I decided I had better talk with his teacher. And after we spoke, she agreed with my observations that Lane appeared to have disfluencies when he spoke.”

Lane and his parents moved to Ladera in 2016 and have two Havanese dogs Charlotte and Henry – who are a big part of Lane’s life.

According to the Stuttering Foundation of America (https://www.stutteringhelp.org/faq), stuttering is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (lllllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak. Stuttering is also referred to as stammering.

Lane began speech therapy with a private speech therapist while the family was living in Colorado.

“He went three times a week, then two times a week from age 5 to 10,” Bucher recalled.

The family moved to Ladera Ranch when Lane was 10 and he expressed a desire to stop the speech therapy.

“He said he didn’t want to do speech therapy anymore, and we said fine. He said he wanted to do things that were more fun – and we agreed that we weren’t going to force him or make his speech as point of contention. It’s his speech, not ours.”

“As a parent, I am happy he went to speech therapy when he was younger,” said Bucher. “Speech therapy gave him tools that he can use when he chooses and he loved going at the time. But at a certain age, when your child pushes back – you have to listen to them.”

“By January 2016, Lane was in a down cycle of stuttering. It was pretty intense for him,” recalled Bucher.

“Santa had brought him a video camera at Christmas and he said he wanted to make a film. I suggested that he make a film about stuttering and he really liked the idea.”

“Lane has always enjoyed educating his peers and classmates about the condition of stuttering,” Bucher said. “So making a film was a way for him to broaden his reach. And he had goals that he wanted to accomplish with the film.”

“First, he wants people to understand that it is hard for him to talk. Speech is a challenge for him. Even if people don’t hear him stutter, the process of speech is still actively hard for him at all times still,” Bucher said. “He also wants people to know that it is ok to stutter. It is ok that he’s challenged by it.”

A FILM – AND FILMMAKER, ARE BORN: LANE BUCHER AND HIS MOM TALK ABOUT PURPOSE OF WWW.OKTOSTUTTER.COM

“This documentary is meaningful to Lane because he wants people to understand that it's difficult to stutter and how people can have compassion and good listening skills for persons who stutter,” Bucher said. “Also, the title Ok to Stutter really is the main message. There is nothing wrong with stuttering, it's completely fine and just another form of speaking.”

“It is estimated that about 1% of the world's population stutters and it crosses into all nations,” continued Bucher. “We have heard of stories of Tibetan Monks that stutter, Mongolians that stutter, Kenyans that stutter-it is truly global. Ancient people stuttered, even Aristole has commented on it. The Stuttering Foundation estimates that 70 million people worldwide stutter.”

“Lane worked on this documentary for almost two years. He's pleased that it's done so that it can help people. He's even had some fan mail thanking him from Romania,” said Bucher.

“Currently, we are working with a Swiss film festival director that is helping subtitle it in German so that it may reach a German speaking audience. He also hopes to take it into a few high schools and to add a presentation and a chance for q and a with students here locally.”

“There are two journeys – there is the child’s journey and the parent’s journey,” Bucher said. “I came to the realization that it’s not a big deal if we don’t make it a big deal.”

“One of my goals as a parent is to keep the conversation on stuttering open – so it doesn’t become the elephant in the room,” Bucher said. “Lane and I both want people to know that it is important to keep the conversation about stuttering alive. Sometime’s the conversation is, “I don’t want to talk about it”, or sometimes he comes to me and says, “My speech is bothering me.”

“When we watched the film ourselves – and the nine to 10 hours of interviews we still have that were not used in the movie, we just said “these people are so brave to share their story,” Bucher said.

And they are.

“We are also planning to have people who stutter post their stories on the site, including therapists, kids or adults,” Bucher said. “Anyone who has a story to tell about the issue of stuttering.”

JUST LISTEN. LET HIM TELL HIS STORY.

“When Lane was five, I took him for a speech evaluation for the first time. I was in the waiting room crying and worrying about what his life would be like,” Bucher said. “I learned from the wonderful speech therapist “Just listen. Just let him tell his story and let the stutter rip. And if he gets stuck – acknowledge it. Your focus is what they are saying and not how they are saying it. Now, I look back to that waiting room scene and chuckle because there’s nothing wrong with stuttering and stuttering won’t stop Lane from doing whatever it is he chooses to do.”

“I’m still trying to figure stuff out – but the main lesson is that people should simply show compassion if someone they are speaking to is stuttering,” Bucher said. “I am so hopeful; Lane has really not been bullied or teased. He’s had a little bit of it, but those kids are usually confused. When they learned about it, they want to be helpful. Mostly, the kids around him don’t care if he stutters.”

“People who stutter have been naturally drawn to Lane because he doesn’t feel ashamed,” Bucher said. “He loves public speaking. He loves to do presentations. He loves talking with people and he is extremely outgoing.”

“We are hopeful the kindness kids are showing to Lane and others who stutter is a generational shift,” Bucher said. “As a society, we have more awareness about all types of challenges and normalizing all types of people.”

“Simply be kind and be respectful,” Bucher said. “We want to help to see that people with any kind of challenge are mainstreamed and not marginalized.”

“Another message from the film is that we can listen,” Bucher said. “We can listen to people in general.”

IN GOOD COMPANY

Everyone in life has a personal struggle – some people, like Lane, simply learn at an earlier age lessons about resilience, determination and personal strength.

The Stuttering Foundation (https://www.stutteringhelp.org/) keeps a growing list of notable people that have stuttered – or do stutter still. Perhaps the condition of stuttering has taught many of those on the list the same lessons that Lane is learning now.

Luckily for young children who develop stuttering now can look to a movie a young boy from Ladera Ranch, California made teaching them that is www.oktostutter.com.

And it is.

• Famous people who have stuttered, according to https://www.stutteringhelp.org/

Marc Anthony, Emily Blunt, Steve Harvey, Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones, Nicole Kidman, B.B. King, Kendrick Lamar, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Paar, Elvis Presley, Charlie Sheen, Jimmy Stewart, Bruce Willis, Bo Jackson, Greg Louganis, Shaquille O'Neal,
Herschel Walker, Tiger Woods, Lewis Carroll, Charles Darwin, Andrew Lloyd Webber,
John Stossel, Prince Albert of Monaco, Vice President Joseph Biden, Winston Churchill,
King George VI, J. Edgar Hoover, Demosthenes, Moses

The following information is from the Stuttering Foundation of America (https://www.stutteringhelp.org/faq)

Stuttering Facts and Information

What is stuttering? Stuttering is a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions (li-li-like this), prolongations (lllllike this), or abnormal stoppages (no sound) of sounds and syllables. There may also be unusual facial and body movements associated with the effort to speak. Stuttering is also referred to as stammering.

What causes stuttering? There are four factors most likely to contribute to the development of stuttering: genetics (approximately 60% of those who stutter have a family member who does also); child development (children with other speech and language problems or developmental delays are more likely to stutter); neurophysiology (recent neurological research has shown that people who stutter process speech and language slightly differently than those who do not stutter); and family dynamics (high expectations and fast-paced lifestyles can contribute to stuttering).

Stuttering may occur when a combination of factors comes together and may have different causes in different people. It is probable that what causes stuttering differs from what makes it continue or get worse.
How many people stutter? More than 70 million people worldwide stutter, which is about 1% of the population. In the United States, that's over 3 million Americans who stutter.

What is the ratio of males to females who stutter? Stuttering affects four times as many males as females.
How many children stutter? Approximately 5 percent of all children go through a period of stuttering that lasts six months or more. Three-quarters of those will recover by late childhood, leaving about 1% with a long-term problem. The best prevention tool is early intervention.
Is stuttering caused by emotional or psychological problems? Children and adults who stutter are no more likely to have psychological or emotional problems than children and adults who do not. There is no reason to believe that emotional trauma causes stuttering.

I think my child is beginning to stutter. Should I wait or seek help? It is best to seek ways that you, the parents, can help as soon as possible.

(https://www.stutteringhelp.org/if-you-think-your-child-stuttering). If the stuttering persists beyond three to six months or is particularly severe, you may want to seek help from a speech-language pathologist who specializes in stuttering right away.

(https://www.stutteringhelp.org/referrals-information).

Can stuttering be treated? Yes, there are a variety of successful approaches for treating both children and adults. (https://www.stutteringhelp.org/why-go-speech-therapy).

Are there any famous people who stutter? Emily Blunt, James Earl Jones, John Stossel, Bill Walton, Mel Tillis, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Carly Simon, Annie Glenn, Ken Venturi, Bob Love, John Updike, King George VI -- all are famous people who stuttered and went on to have successful lives.

I read about a new cure for stuttering. Is there such a thing? There are no instant miracle cures for stuttering. Therapy, electronic devices, and even drugs are not an overnight process. However, a specialist in stuttering can help not only children but also teenagers, young adults and even older adults make significant progress toward fluency.

These stuttering facts and stuttering information are provided by the Stuttering Foundation of America.

PHOTOS COURTESY LANE BUCHER, FILMMAKER; LANE ON SET ALONG WITH NBA STAR KENYON MARTIN and SPEECH THERAPIST WHITNEY