• UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
NewsExplored
  • UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • LinkedIn

  • Tumblr

  • RSS

Education

Thomas Grattoni-May: Boy’s stammer ‘made worse by lockdown’

Thomas Grattoni-May: Boy’s stammer ‘made worse by lockdown’
Newsexplored
27th July 2020
ShareTweet
SubscribeRedditGoogleWhatsappStumbleuponPinterestDiggLinkedinTumblrTelegram
Views:
7
Thomas Grattoni-May
Image caption Thomas Grattoni-May said he had developed confidence to speak in class but had found online classes a struggle

A schoolboy with a stammer says he hopes that by explaining his difficulties in communicating during lockdown, he will help others.

Thomas Grattoni-May has a blocking stammer, which means his mouth is positioned but no sound comes out.

The 15-year-old said using audio digital platforms for lessons meant no-one could see he was trying to speak.

He said he was part of a “silent group… who have struggled in ways that others perhaps will not realise”.

The teenager, a pupil at Ashville College in Harrogate, said when lockdown meant his GCSEs were cancelled “it seemed like my world turned upside down”.

Writing in a blog, he said: “Everything I had been working towards for the last five years was in disarray and the stress levels rose considerably.

“Like many, as the stress levels rose, so did my difficulties in communicating.”

Thomas said because he was “hidden behind a computer screen” his teachers could not see that he was struggling to get his words out.

He added: “If I wanted to ask a question, I would have to time the unmuting of my microphone with my readiness to speak, but the more I thought about it, the more stressed I would become.

“I realised how much lockdown and online schooling was impacting both my ability to understand my teachers and their ability to understand me.

“I was missing a vital component of communication, the non-verbal form that I was completely reliant upon.”

data-ad-format="auto">
Image caption Lucy Mullender, who supports Thomas at school, said he did not try to hide his stammer but rather “embraced it”

Thomas urged other youngsters who have stammer “not to worry”.

“You’re joining a very special group of people who have succeeded greatly, like Sir Winston Churchill, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Emily Blunt.”

Lucy Mullender, who supports Thomas in school, described him as an “inspirational student”.

Charity Action for Stammering said there had been a rise in the number of inquiries over lockdown about children stammering.


It said it hoped Thomas’s story would help support others.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk or send video here.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Related Itemsgrattonilockdownstammerthomasworse
Education
27th July 2020
Newsexplored @newsexploredweb

Related Itemsgrattonilockdownstammerthomasworse

More in Education

  • Read More
    What’s the science behind closing schools?

    Views:7 By Will FyfeBBC News media captionDr Heather Payne says school drop off and pick-ups created “social...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    Cancelled exams are a ‘big disappointment’

    Views:7 image captionJake did not want exams to be cancelled “It’s a big disappointment,” says 17-year-old Jake...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    Hawaiian shirts and gravy: Christmas tributes for loved ones lost to Covid

    Views:7 Christmas is different for everyone this year but especially for the thousands of UK families who...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    England ‘significant decline’ in global science tests

    Views:7 By Sean CoughlanBBC News family and education correspondent image copyrightTIMSS image captionThe maths and science tests...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    Covid: Some students not back until February next term

    Views:7 By Sean CoughlanBBC News family and education correspondent image copyrightReuters image captionStudents have been taking Covid...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    Covid: How might GCSE and A-levels work this summer?

    Views:7 By Branwen JeffreysEducation Editor image copyrightGetty Images A-levels and GCSEs in England are due to go...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    Special educational needs support ‘offered after exclusion’

    Views:7 By Kayleen DevlinBBC Ouch image copyrightEmily image captionEmily says she feels let down by the system...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    Free school meals: Authors urge government action to stop child hunger

    Views:7 media captionMarcus Rashford and his mother Melanie helped out at FareShare Greater Manchester. More than 200...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    Covid: Student anger over ‘junk’ food parcels in isolation

    Views:7 Image caption A student isolating in Nottingham was given bread, jam and an apple for breakfast...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    Next year’s exams to start later in Northern Ireland

    Views:7 Image copyright Pacemaker Image caption Exams this year were cancelled due to the pandemic A-level, AS...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    Let depressed teens postpone exams, say researchers

    Views:7 Image copyright Getty Images Teenagers who struggle with depression significantly underachieve at GCSE, according to new...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
  • Read More
    ‘Cities as friendly to strangers as towns and villages’

    Views:7 Image copyright Danny Lawson Image caption People in Nottingham were the most likely to step forward...

    Newsexplored 27th July 2020
Scroll for more
Tap
data-ad-format="auto">
NewsExplored

NewsExplored - Making sure all the latest news is explored?

Contact us for help

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • Trump pardons two convicted by Russia investigation
    USA23rd December 2020
  • New coronavirus variant: What do we know?
    UK20th December 2020
  • Kieran Trippier suspended for 10 weeks over breaches of betting rules
    Sports23rd December 2020
  • The Papers: UK and EU on ‘verge’ of Brexit trade deal
    UK23rd December 2020
  • Biden inauguration rehearsal paused amid US Capitol lockdown
    USA18th January 2021
  • Migrant caravan: Guatemala blocks thousands bound for US
    USA18th January 2021
  • Trump impeachment: When will he go on trial in the Senate?
    USA16th January 2021
  • Joe Biden unveils $1.9tn US economic relief package
    USA15th January 2021
  • Les Rehrer says:

    Hello Its me :P and thanks for this post

  • optumrx login says:

    Thank For News.

  • Kent Laatsch says:

    Please let me know if you're looking for a writer…

  • Bob says:

    RT News was where I learned that Erdogan controlled isis.…

Copyright © 2018 Top News Theme. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by Wordpress.

Students back at uni – but with masks and no bars
‘Flexibility’ this year over staying on for A-level
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok