A YOUNG Carlow woman has spoken of her journey from not being able to order her own food to public speaking with Toastmasters. Janet Lennon (24), from the Pollerton Road, has struggled with a stammer since she was a small child. 'My stammer started when I was four-years-old, but it became really noticeable when I turned six or seven,' said Janet.

Janet said that it would start with her repeating the same word three or four times, but then panic would set in.

'From a young age I knew I spoke differently from everyone else.

' The initial thought of getting out the first word led to fear and panic,' she said.

Janet said it led to her being bullied in school and despite seeing many speech therapists it did not help her overcome her stammering.

The young Carlow woman explains that there are two types of stammers, overt and covert.

Covert stammering is where the sufferer can hide it by substituting some words for others or avoiding saying certain things.

But for people who suffer from overt stammering, like Janet, there is no hiding place from their struggle to get out the words.

Despite this Janet did her best for years to try and avoid her problem by simply trying her best not to have to speak to people, on the phone or in person.

However, it was seeing a fellow sufferer on The Late Late Show that eventually led Janet to tackler her stammer head on.

The man, who had suffered from his stammer for 40 years, was eloquently discussing his problem and how he had finally addressed it.

He had enrolled in the McGuire Programme and this is where Janet found the help she needed.

'I was very sceptical at first,' said Janet, following her unsuccessful experiences with speech therapists. But she was soon won over. Her first experience with the programme was an intensive four-day programme, which lasted 15 hours each day.

It looks at the mechanics and dynamics of speaking, with a special focus on breathing.

There are also a lot of aspects of the programme designed to build confidence, one of which saw Janet and her colleagues out on the street with their mission to make 100 'contacts', which involves approaching people and asking them the time or directions to a certain place.

'We get videotaped on the first and last day and you can see the difference in those three days,' said Janet.

She just completed her latest course in the McGuire Programme last week, which was held in Galway, and continues to get support from other members.

She feels the big difference between the programme and speech therapy is that the latter, for her, involved a one-hour session a week with no ongoing support. Now she has lots of support. Janet admits she even made a few 'practice calls' to others from the programme earlier in the morning before coming in for her Carlow People interview

Janet said her speech has improved significantly, but she also points out that it is something she needs to continually work at.

For example, she does 20 minutes of costal breathing every morning.

'If I don't do it I pay for it during the day,' she jokes.

She completed her social care course in WIT last year, which involved a number of presentations.

She describes them as ' torture', but now she is a glutton for punishment!

'I've joined Toastmasters in Athy and I've done two speeches so far,' said Janet.

'You give them to the other members and they give you feedback on how you're getting on.'

She addressed her stammering in her first speech, before focusing on Irish Dancing, a favourite pastime, in her second speech.

' The first two were fine, but they get harder as they go on,' said Janet.

However, she has confidence now that she could only have dreamed of a few short years ago and points out that one of her techniques even involves 'stammering on purpose'.

' You're slowing your speech down on purpose so your panic just goes,' she explains.

Janet said she has to always remain aware of how she's speaking.

'If I feel a block coming on a word I have to act fast.

'If you feel panic coming on, you just pause for a few seconds,' she said.

The many small changes in how she deals with her stammer have made a big difference in her life.

'Before the course I would never have got on the phone and made any calls. Now if I just speak slowly and take my breaths I get on fine,' she said.

It's the simple things most of us take for granted that represent the little victories for Janet as she goes about her daily business.

'Being able to order my own food, order a taxi or just sort out car insurance over the phone, it's great,' she said.