Important Details On Stuttering Therapy Tucson

By Enid Hinton


Stuttering is also known as stammering and is a disorder which involves frequent and considerable problems with flow of speech and fluency. People with this condition know what they would like to say but will find it difficult saying it. For instance, they could prolong or repeat a word or phrase. It is common in young children as part of their learning to speak. They will however over time outgrow it. For people considering stuttering therapy Tucson offers various options.

Adults or kids who stutter will find it helpful to consider treatments such as speech therapy, use of electronic devices and psychological counseling. After comprehensively examining an individual, a speech pathologist will decide on the best treatment. Before an appointment with the doctor, there are preparatory measures. Personal information such as when the condition started will be required. For adults, the speech pathologist will want to know how the condition has affected their life and the current problems experienced.

One will need to record at least an episode of their stuttering if they can. If one is already taking any medications, the doctor will need to know. The meeting with the doctor should be used as an opportunity to have any concerns one may have clarified. Doctors will normally also need to know such details of any factors that increase the stuttering or whether the condition runs in the family.

There are different approaches to treatment. The method used or the combination of approaches will differ in patients. A method that works for one patient may not do so for another. With controlled fluency, the focus is to teach those affected to slow down their speech and also notice whenever they stutter. In the early stages of this therapy, the person may speak deliberately and slowly. Their speech becomes more natural with time.

There are several electronic devices available. When there is delayed auditory feedback, one will be required to slow down their speech or it will sound distorted from the machine. There is also a technique in which the speech of the individual is mimicked so that it sounds like they are speaking in unison with another person. There are small electronic devices worn during daily activities.

Cognitive behavioral therapy helps an individual to learn ways of identifying and making changes his thinking. Some ways of thinking make the stammering to be worse. Individuals are also helped to deal with underlying stress, anxiety or self-esteem. In children, parental support will be instrumental. It is parents who spend more time with their children at home and thus they have greater responsibility of helping them with the treatment process.

Parents of children who stutter could benefit from various tips. It is important to listen attentively to them while maintaining eye contact when they speak. Children should not be helped to complete words- they should be left to complete them individually.

Times should be set aside when the child can be spoken to without any distractions. Mealtimes can especially be ideal. They should be spoken to slowly and in an unhurried way. This will make them also do the same, something that will decrease stuttering. Most importantly, attention should not be drawn to the stuttering of the child at any given time.




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