New Effective Treatment Techniques

The most common speech impediment that will bring a young child into a speech therapists office is stuttering. The reason for this is simple and that is that stuttering is the most commonly heard speech problem in children. Still one more factor that is motivating more parents to bring their child in for speech therapy, is new positive developments in the treatment of stuttering.

More Is Known Today About Stuttering

This is because more is known today about stuttering and its treatment then ever before. What this means is the depending on each persons individual case, treatments for stuttering are also delivering faster results. Remember that stuttering often simply goes away as a child ages but often times it can develop into a life long adult condition.

Speech Impediments and Social Development

Human developmental experts are all in agreement that the personality that a person will carry with them their entire adult life is for the most part developed while they are a child. What this means is that by delaying speech therapy treatment for stuttering or any other speech impediment for that matter can have far reaching effects on an individual. Low self esteem and problems with socializing with peers are just two of the long term problems that can arise from stuttering.

Common Speech Therapy Treatments

There are several common speech therapy treatments for stutterers and they can be used individually or in any number of combinations. The age of the person being treated, the severity of the speech condition and the level of response to any individual treatment method or technique all can be and often are determinate factors in tailoring a course of therapy.

One Common Speech Therapy Technique

One of the most common speech therapy treatment techniques involves working with a patient to eliminate or minimize areas of their vocabulary where problems occur. That is that replacements or alternatives for certain words that may be giving a stuttering child or adult problems will be inserted into their vocabulary, thus eliminating the problem. Further along, as the child improves, the child can then begin to “re-use” those words that were eliminated.

Another Common Speech Therapy Treatment Method

Another common speech therapy technique for children and adults with stuttering issues involves methodically slowing down their speech during therapy sessions. Through this type of slow motion speech therapy, problem areas can be more effectively addressed. After progress has been made, just like a student driver in a drivers training course, the child will be allowed to gradually increase their speech speed until they can talk through problem areas unimpeded.

Stuttering – A Mysterious Speech Impediment

The net result is that the past decade has seen a drastic increase of the success rate in treating even severe cases of childhood and adult stuttering – a mysterious speech impediment that for so long has baffled experts. For instance why is it that a child with a serious stuttering condition who struggles with simple sentences can sing or often recite poetry flawlessly?

Far More Effective Treatments For Stutterers

So while the Internet has allowed speech therapy experts who in years past would have worked alone in their offices to work in collusion. It has at the same time enabled the parents of children who stutter to become more aware of their discoveries. Discoveries that have led to far more effective treatments for children and adults who stutter.

Far More Tools and Methods For Todays Speech Therapist

So now todays speech therapist has far more tools and information at their disposal that can be implemented individually or in groups, depending on each individuals needs and success rate. This means that speech therapists who in the past may have relied on as little as one known treatment method can now combine several together to tailor fit each stutterer with a far more effective treatment regimen.

Newer Effective Treatment Therapy Methods

One very effective course of treatment for stuttering involves the removal of problem words from a child’s vocabulary. As these problem words that are causing the stuttering are being removed, alternative words will be taught to the child. At the same time a treatment method known a colorful semantics is often implemented that basically teaches a child new colorful and descriptive words to use in problem areas of their speech.

Addressing The Physical and Psychological Causes of Stuttering

In some children the positive effect is two-fold. That is that while the stuttering problem is being addressed and eliminated a new confidence in their broadening vocabulary is being instilled in the child. Treatment combinations like these address not only the physical issues that contribute to stuttering but the psychological and speech confidence issues as well.

Slow Motion Speech Therapy Techniques

Of course speech therapy treatment for stuttering children is not new. In fact there are long used and well proven effective therapy techniques that work well on some children. One of the most common involves simply working with a child to speak in slow motion during therapy sessions. In this way, problem areas can be worked through and a child can be allowed a chance to slowly and methodically work on speech articulation.

The affects of stuttering

So what affect did having a stutter have on my life? I could answer this question with just one word – Huge.

Yes, the impact was massive. Not being able to read out aloud in class, order drinks at a bar, speak on the telephone, these are just three from of a large list of what many people see as simple tasks, that I just found so difficult to complete.

I hated being unable to converse fluently. My confidence became badly dented and I soon became tired of people laughing at me behind my back and at the way people would look at me; like I was some kind of freak.

I had developed the stutter when I was four years of age and by the age of fourteen I had become some what of a loner. Strangely enough I could talk perfectly fluently when speaking to myself.

Treatments for stuttering

For whatever reason, I found the traditional speech therapy to be a waste of time. The speech therapists had no real understanding as what I was going through or how the stutter made me feel, how could they, they had never had a stutter?

These days there are many different forms of stuttering therapy. These include hypnosis, a speech course and also self-help type therapies in the form of an audio book, a dvd or an e-book.

I am pleased to report that I finally overcame my own stutter thirteen years ago, at the age of twenty-two. I have not looked back since!

By: blueboy

Before people get too excited, and think that a magic pill has been developed to cure stuttering, let’s first make it clear that to overcome stuttering is no easy ride. Stuttering can destroy a persons self-confidence and can have a very deep physcological affect. Despite this, people who are willing to work very hard, practicing any techniques that they are taught, and who have a determination to achieve fluency, can attain their goal.

Therapies for stuttering

So what types of therapy are available for people who stutter? As previously mentioned there are what some people refer to as “stuttering cure courses”. These can be in a group basis or as most people prefer, on a one to one basis.

Now not every person who has a stutter has the confidence to attend a speech course and therefore may prefer to work from home in their attempt to overcome their stutter. There are now self-help audio books, a self-help dvd and also written booklets with full descriptions of each of the techniques that are taught on some of the above courses.

As you can see there are now a number of options that are available in the way of treatments for stuttering. Each person is different and therefore will decide which therapy, if any, is right for them.

By: blueboy