Key findings of a survey conducted by The National Stuttering Association indicated that stuttering had an adverse effect on the lives of people who suffered from this impairment. According to the survey, stuttering disrupted normal life, at school, the workplace and at home. 8 out of 10 children were teased or humiliated in school, and 40% of stutters were denied a job or a promotion. Moreover, people suffering from stuttering tend to go into a shell because they are embarrassed to talk in public, and feel self-conscious when outsiders learn about their stuttering disorder.
While there is no specific cure for stuttering, therapy can make a huge difference. Stuttering can be minimized, and sometimes even conquered, with the help of effective stuttering therapies.
Stuttering can be a challenge to treat. The nature of therapy varies from one stutterer to the other, because therapy depends upon a number of aspects like, age, level of concern, family history and many more. The therapist uses different approaches and ideas to treat different people, and sometimes a combination of approaches is used.
Therapy for children again depends on a number of factors. In the therapy room, preschoolers may be treated by a technique known as easy speech or smooth speech. This technique teaches the child to speak slowly, softly and with less stiffness. Once the child learns to speak words fluently, they are taught longer and more compound sentences. Children who are too young to follow the technique of easy speech may be treated with the help of an indirect speech modeling technique. In some cases both these techniques are used in combination.
Educating and counseling parents oh how to interact with their child, is the main link in treating child stutters. The parents are taught to pause for some time before responding to the child. This helps in slowing down the dialogue. It is noticed that many children stutter less when talking slowly. Parents are also advised to be open about the problem, and talk about it honestly to the child. Discussing the problem does mean telling the child to “stop stuttering”. They should be told that stuttering is a behavior pattern which can be changed, and that it is not a crime to stutter.
A publication from the Stuttering Foundation called "If Your Child Stutters" is a good resource and guide for parents.
Many people, who received therapy as a child but failed, tend to succeed with adult stuttering therapy. This is probably because, as adults or young adults, they are more focused and motivated.
Therapy for treating adults and adolescents lays more emphasis on reducing the nervousness, and any apprehensions that they may have about speaking. Like in children, adult stuttering therapies too may teach the stutterer to speak slowly, gradually progressing from mono-syllables to long words and full sentences. They are also taught to breathe naturally and regulate their breathing. The therapy may teach the stutterer to avoid getting emotional, upset and/or irritated with his, as well as others stuttering.
Fluency therapy activities are another technique that aims to replace stuttered speech with fluent speech. In this technique, stutterers are taught to speak slowly and stretch the vowels and gradually move towards a more relaxed speech. While using fluency shaping techniques, the speech may sound peculiar due to stretching and prolonging the word.
The idea behind this technique is that the prolonged speech can help cure stuttering. Some studies indicate that this technique works, while others suggest that fluency shaping therapies tend to relapse.
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