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The start of a long journey (cont..)

Welcome back. So, you made it this far, I guess you would like to learn more about my life and this disability?  Well, you're in the right place.

Developmental Language Disorder can affect me in many ways; by speaking as you'll find out if you watch my YouTube Channel; by socializing: this is the biggest problem people with DLD face.  If we meet someone new, it is never guaranteed that they will like people with disabilities, and if they do, they will usually disagree that we are really disabled.  The following, is a story which is coincidentally is in my book, about how I feel, and probably how most of my peers feel but I am not saying that for definite as we are all different, when meeting a new person:
You meet someone and start chatting to them; they look at you strangely as if to say, ‘Wtf you’re saying?’ And you realise that your words are coming out all mixed up. You try to slow your brain out, but a whole paragraph has been sent.  
You feel the sweat start to form. You look about yourself wishing that you weren’t in this situation. 
You try again, but all that comes out is stuttering. The sweat starts to form beads across your forehead and you panic even more. Hell has just come up and said ‘Yup, you’re in my environment now’. The guy looks at you and starts to laugh. Omg, he has laughed at you. You panic even more as another thought passes through your mind. 
You look at him, again still trying to slow your brain down so you can talk more smoothly and make sense of what this is all about. The guy has now brought over his friends, and they are making fun of you. The thought still in your mind. You panic, the sweat is taking its time to fall, but it’s now visible. You try again. The stutter reappears as the brain is sending the paragraph to the mouth. 
You feel alone and helpless, and you wish that you could get out of the situation. Freak is passing through your mind. The guys are thinking about it. They hate you because you’re disabled. Your head is spinning, and you feel as if you’re in a non-ending roller coaster ride to Hell. You look around and try to make your goodbyes. But they want you to stay. 
Taunting is on the mind of your attackers. You back away, but they follow. ‘Why go? The party is just getting started’ they laugh.You feel the tears welling up to your eyeballs. The stuttering is still on the go. You think ‘Please mind, slow down’ and yet, it doesn’t. You still back away, hoping someone who doesn’t think you’re a freak will see you and save you. The Devil is behind the guys saying, ‘You’re mine now! Hahaha’, and the sweat is now pouring down like Niagara Falls. 
The taunters see and laugh even more. ‘You’re a freak because you can’t talk properly’ they scream. You turn and run and find them chasing you laughing and shouting ‘Why leave? We haven’t finished with you freak!’ You try to run away from them, but their breathing is on your neck. You run faster. And turn a corner, and they say, ‘Why to leave?’ You desperately search for an answer, but none comes. You back away and they follow still taunting. “You leave the room, hoping that they won’t continue to follow, and sure enough, they do. “C’mon brain, slow down” you stutter to yourself. They hear this and start nudging each other while laughing. “Haha, he’s talking to himself. Weirdo”. You realised that they heard you and you walk faster; they walk faster. This stuttering doesn’t stop, and the brain keeps on sending down the paragraphs. “Slow down, brain, slow down please” you say again. Everything is a complete shambles in the brain. 
Why did they see you? Why did they come and speak to you? What have you done wrong? Did you make them be like this? Did you cross paths with their parents in another life and wronged them to make them get their kids take revenge in their later life? Every minute you continue to try to slow the brain down, and after a long while, you manage to say something, and finally, you realise that your mind has slowed down. You stop and turn to them and you say something intelligent 
“If you bully someone who has a speech impairment or any kind of disability, it will only come back worse for you in your later life as you’ll find that finding something will be a lot harder”, and they look at you and are surprised. But you are now scared of them as you realise that they’re another bunch of people who think you’re a freak.

I wrote this at the University of Derby at about midnight as I was fed up of people not knowing how I felt when I met someone new.  I always tried to explain it, but it never was understood.  Fortunately, people took note and it made life a bit easier.

DLD does not under any circumstances discriminate.  It is also not a choice and I can not pretend that I have it (and trust me, I wouldn't want to pretend that I have it).  This disability you are born like it, never mind if you're male or female.

When I was having my speech therapy in my younger years, I was having to learn everything which comes naturally for a child.  Children hear their parents speak, their brain learn what the parents are saying.  With me, I heard my parents speaking and yet, my brain couldn't understand what they were saying.  The only word that I had for each individual member of my family was for my Mother, and that was 'Mimmy'. I had no other names.

As V says in his speech in V for Vendetta:
Words will always retain their power. Words are the means to meaning, and for those who listen, the enunciation of truth...
So, what will you do?  Will you listen to my teachings?
Until next time...

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