Stuttering
The Basics
Stuttering is a fluency disorder marked by
repetitions (ba-ba-ball),
prolongations (baaaaaall),
and blocks ([pause] ball). This disorder
is increased by stress and can cause significant emotional trauma. Some people who stutter (PWS) are made fun
of, others feel like they can’t communicate appropriately, and others are just
embarrassed by the way they sound.
Stuttering therapy has two basic branches, “stuttering modification” and
“fluency-shaping”. Stuttering
modification focuses on the stutter and how the PWS can get out of the stutter.
This technique places the stutter at the forefront. Fluency shaping focuses on building fluency
and almost ignores the stutter- focusing instead on good, steady speech. This
handout will focus on fluency-shaping.
What is it?
Stuttering is a communication disorder
involving disruptions, or “disfluencies,” in
a person’s speech. In addition to producing disfluencies,
people who stutter often experience physical tension and struggle in their
speech muscles, as well as embarrassment, anxiety, and fear about speaking
Definitions
“Stuttering” is made up different
patterns and severities of three different kinds of disfluencies:
repetitions, prolongations, and blocks.
Repetitions:
Consist of a repeated word or syllable. “ba-ba-ball” is an example.
Prolongations:
words consisting of an elongated sound. “baaaaat” is an example.
Blocks: a
space of time in which the person is trying to speak, but cannot “get the word
out.” Ex: [pause while opening and closing mouth to make the /b/ sound] “ball.”
Causes
There are no known causes for
stuttering. There have been some links
to family history and some genetic studies done, however no strong association
has been found. Stuttering is not a
“nervous” or anxiety-related disorder and cannot be caused by family
relationships.
Cures/Solutions
There is no known cure for
stuttering. However, that being said,
many young children who stutter developmentally (start stuttering young) will
naturally recover (stop stuttering as they grow older). Speech therapy can help stutterers grow more
confident in their speech, learn to control their symptoms (e.g., repetitions,
prolongations, and blocks) and to deal with the emotional and social side
effects of the stutter.
Stuttering Facts
•Most
teenage PWS will never be fully fluent.
However, many learn to manage their stutter and the accompanying
emotions in such a way that they can continue to live their life normally and
achieve near-fluent speech.
•PWS are normally fluent when whispering, speaking
in a group, and singing
•Stuttering
is universally found in all languages
•PWS
tend to stutter less when they are relaxed and rested versus when they are
stressed , excited, or fatigued.
•80%
of stutterers are male
•Some
famous people who stuttered include: James Earl Jones (Darth Vader), King
George VI of England (The Kings Speech), Winston Churchill (Prime minister
during WWII), an d Lewis Carroll (Author of Alice in Wonderland)
Ways you can help
1. Don’t tell the child “slow down” or “
just relax.”
2. Don’t complete words for the child or
talk for him or her.
3. Help all members of the class learn to
take turns talking and listening. All children — and especially those who
stutter — find it much easier to talk when there are few interruptions and they
have the listener’s attention.
4. Expect the same quality and quantity of
work from the student who stutters as the one who doesn’t.
5. Speak with the student in an unhurried
way, pausing frequently.
6. Convey that you are listening to the
content of the message, not how it is said.
7. Have a one-on-one conversation with the
student who stutters about needed accommodations in the classroom. Respect the
student’s needs, but do not be enabling.
8. Don’t make stuttering something to be
ashamed of. Talk about stuttering just like any other matter
9. Speak with your child in an unhurried
way, pausing frequently. Wait a few seconds after your child finishes speaking
before you begin to speak.
10. Reduce the number of questions you ask
your child. Children respond better to
you listening to their concerns, not answering questions.
11. Use your facial expressions and other
body language to convey to your child that you are listening to the content of
her message and not to how she's talking.
12. Observe the way you interact with your
child. Show the child that you are
listening and decrease criticisms, rapid speech patterns, interruptions, and
questions.
13. Above all, convey that you accept your
child as he is. The most powerful force will be your support of him, whether he
stutters or not.
Techniques
•Use
slow, steady speech- some therapists will have the PWS speak to the rhythm of a
slow metronome and slowly increase the speed as they increase fluency. In many situations, asking the PWS to slow
down or speak slowly can help the stutter to achieve fluency.
•Easy
phrase initiation- the PWS should use easy phrase initiation (or a softer start
to a phrase) to help relax and release tension in the mouth and throat.
•Breath
management- the PWS should manage his breaths to speak easily on one breath. In
other words, he should speak without running out of air or straining his air
supply taking frequent breaths. This may
require a verbal cue such as, “take a deep breath and continue”.
•Deliberate
flow between words- another technique is to continue to “speak” between
words. So instead of saying “The dog
sat” a PWS using this approach might say “The—dog—zat”
continuing to use voicing so as not to interupt the breath and muscle flow.
Other suggestions
•The
PWS should be listened to patiently, not be hurried and not interrupted
•NEVER
finish a PWS word unless asked to by the PWS
•Don’t
fill in words or supply answers
•Don’t
look pained, pitying or impatient
•Do
not withdraw eye contact, glance nervously at the PWS or stare vacantly into
space
•Speak
naturally
•Maintain
an unhurried, calm and interested manner
•Try
to help the PWS maintain a calm and relaxed environment
•Help
the child avoid bullying by maintaining a kind classroom atmosphere. If
bullying becomes a problem it can be beneficial to educate the class about
stuttering, what it is, how the PWS controls it, and how the classmates can
help him achieve better fluency
•Some
reactive methods to bullying are: avoid, ignore, inform, confront, and to make
light of stuttering in general.
Information collected and compiled
from
