22 Sep Stuttering DV Therapy

Stuttering

WHAT IS STUTTERING?

Stuttering is a speech disorder
characterized by repetition of
sounds, syllables, or words.
It occurs when an individual has
trouble producing a normal flow
of speech. Breaks or disruptions
during the flow of speech are
known as disfluencies. About 8% of children have a period of
stuttering during their development,
with most recovering completely with
or without speech therapy.

MYTHS

▪ People stutter because they are nervous
▪ People who stutter are shy and self-conscious
▪ People who stutter are less intelligent
▪ Stuttering is a psychosocial disorder
▪ Stuttering is caused by emotional trauma
▪ Stuttering is caused by bad parenting
▪ Children who stutter are imitating a parent or relative 

CAUSES

Even though the exact cause of
stuttering is unknown, there are
some factors that may be
considered.
Stuttering can be caused by
factors which include genes,
emotions as well as the
environment. First, stuttering is
something that you may be born
with that might run in families.
Brain function and structure of
individuals who stutter could also
differ compared to those who do
not stutter. Living with a
speaking difficulty can cause
tension, and then become more
severe. A person may also stutter
more if they feel anxious or
nervous. Trying to avoid
stuttering or having negative
experiences may also affect
stuttering.
Stuttering can also occur when
children grow and learn more
vocabulary. Children who are
misdiagnosed with stuttering, may become self-conscious of
their speech. This can cause the
child to actually stutter. When
there is a failure in
communication, the child may have difficulty speaking
smoothly, which results in more
tension when speaking. When a
child’s level of fluency is not the
same as their speech output it can
also lead to stuttering.

TREATMENT

Stuttering can be treated with speech
therapy and has a high success rate in
preschool children, often times leading
to a full recovery. In school-age
children and older, it can teach you how
to speak in a new way so your speech
fluency and ease of speaking are vastly
improved.

Fluency shaping is a type of treatment
for stuttering to reduce disfluent
speech. The goal of fluency shaping is
to help individuals speak fluently.

Stuttering modification involves
identifying and adjusting disfluencies
when they occur. The SLP would help
the patient reduce their physical
tension, overcome their fear of
speaking, and use tools when stuttering.
Stuttering modification includes
educating and counseling patients who
stutter in order to decrease anxiety
when speaking, as well as learning
about techniques to help make
stuttering moments shorter and less
tense.

PARENTS

For younger aged children, it is critical to
include parents throughout the intervention
process. Parents can speak slower, give the
child time to finish their sentence, take turns
when speaking with their child, and reduce
time pressure in daily activities. Throughout
their daily routines, parents should provide
consistent discipline and maintain family
routines. They should fully listen to their child’s
message with eye contact. Parents can have
one on one time with their child for 5 minutes
a day to practice slow speaking and listening,
without any interruptions from other family
members. Famous people who stutter:
US President Joe Biden, King George
VI, Emily Blunt, Ron Harper, Bo
Jackson, Marilyn Monroe

FACTS

▪ There is no actual cause for stuttering
▪ Early Intervention is key
▪ There is no cure for stuttering
▪ Stress and nervousness does not cause stuttering
▪ Stuttering is more common in males than females