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RIYADH: To mark International Stuttering Awareness Day, the stuttering awareness and support association Mutalaathem held an event on Wednesday evening at the Cultural House in Riyadh.

A presentation on effective communication methods for individuals with a stuttering disability was given, and various panel discussions were held for both adults and young people.

“Our event is for International Stuttering Awareness Day, and we called it ‘Give Me My Time,’ because we stutterers need time to get the words out,” said Saad Al-Munajem, founder of Mutalaathem.

Al-Munajem added: “The goal of the event is to spread awareness in our community, to tell people that stuttering is just a different way of speaking and that it is not necessary to speak fluently. We only need to take our time to deliver our thoughts.”

Stuttering is a speech disorder that causes individuals to have challenges in pronouncing words smoothly.

The health condition often worsens when the person is excited, exhausted or stressed, according to the Saudi Ministry of Health.

Stuttering often begins in early childhood, between the ages of 2 and 5 years old, and if the disability persists beyond that, professional help may be necessary.

Although the precise causes of stuttering remain unclear, it is believed to result from a combination of different factors, including genetic differences in brain functioning, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Lolwah Al-Nogaidan, who attended the event, spoke to Arab News about her experience with her son Saad, who has stuttered since the age of 3.

“My son was timid and didn’t talk. He used to see himself as different than others. Yet, when he attended the event (last year) and saw others with stutter, I saw a complete 180 change,” she explained.

“He had the confidence to talk … after that, I never missed an event with Saad.”

Al-Munajem explained to Arab News his personal experience with stuttering, which led him to found Mutalaathem in 2021.

“I created Mutalaathem based on my own experience and journey with stuttering. Stuttering once held me back from speaking and sharing my voice.

“I used to think it was a flaw in me or in the way I speak, but when I reached university, my perspective on stuttering changed.”

Al-Munajem developed an understanding of stuttering and focused on delivering his thoughts rather than on how he spoke.

“I told myself that what matters is not whether I speak fluently, but whether I can convey the message I want to share.”

“After my mindset toward stuttering changed, my life changed for the better, even though the stutter itself didn’t.

“Thus, I wanted to help other people to reach the same mindset I did, or maybe even further.”

RIYADH: ��������’s National Center for Wildlife has introduced a new national program to track invasive marine species in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

In collaboration with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the program aims to reinforce the country’s efforts to conserve marine biodiversity and protect ecosystems.

It is the first coordinated national effort to create a comprehensive database of non-native and invasive marine species in the Kingdom’s waters.

The program uses advanced research methods including field surveys, DNA barcoding and maritime traffic analysis to develop accurate scientific imaging of species distribution and dispersal pathways.

Preliminary results revealed hundreds of potential non-native marine species, including 181 in the Red Sea and 168 in the Arabian Gulf.

These species are most concentrated in areas close to ports and coastal infrastructure, areas that the program is targeting with monitoring and environmental planning.

The program has also established the region’s first genetic fingerprint library for potential non-native marine species, for rapid identification of future threats.

Furthermore, it has strengthened national capacities through training and improved marine biosecurity in line with international standards.

Based on these results, NCW is developing a national marine biosecurity framework to prevent and manage invasive species in cooperation with the relevant authorities.

NCW CEO Mohammed Qurban said that this program reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to promoting scientific research and its applications in marine environment protection, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative.