Are you a person who suffers from stuttering? Is it a challenge which is not only affecting your physical speech and communications but also your choices, decisions, beliefs and… your whole life?! Are you looking for a speech therapy solution to overcome your stuttering challenge to live a confident, successful and fulfilled life? If you have that three letter word in mind which starts with Y, ends with S and an E is hanging in the middle, then I strongly suggest you to read on.
Mostly known speech therapy solutions for stuttering or stammering are:
Traditional Speech Therapy ProgramsThese are mostly based on physical techniques. I had gone through some of those well-known programs. In fact, once, when I was a student, I spent all my money I saved working as a part-time pizza delivery guy to go through a speech therapy program which was 3 weeks long. During those 3 weeks, a group of us stutterers spent the whole time in a clinic using some fluency shaping techniques to re-learn how to speak. These programs have not been successful in meeting stutterer’s expectations because they are too focused on the physical techniques which lead stutterers to overly control their speech mechanisms.
Working One-On-One with a SLP (Speech Language Pathologist )Most SLPs use traditional speech therapy techniques, however in this past couple of years they began considering mental/psychological aspects of stuttering as well… which I am extremely glad they realized this by the way. When I used to live in America for almost 9 years(this is the period when I was able to transform my speech by the way) I have given speeches to speech pathologists in universities. It is my observation that most SLPs are text book focused and they don’t really understand the inner world of a stutterer. However, they genuinely want to help. They do it with good intentions but when it comes to success rates, I am not too sure they would be high enough. My SLP therapy experiences were not positive, but again it might be because I wasn’t ready for the change.
Intensive Programs/CoursesThese programs have been getting more popular than traditional speech therapies. If you decide to go through one of those programs make sure they approach the subject holistically. If their approach is based purely on the physical aspect of stuttering, it may not be a good choice to get the success you are looking for.In addition to this, since they take place in a group environment, one-on-one attention is almost impossible. As somebody who strongly believes that everybody’s stuttering is unique and therefore it needs to be approached uniquely for every person, I think these one-fits-all intensive speech therapy courses definitely lack this crucial component.
Technological SolutionsThese are technological devices which claims to stop stuttering immidiately. Most of them are based on DAF(delayed auditory feedback) technology. I tried these devices when they were first out in the market (the times I was so desperate looking for a solution, a way out). I have to admit though, it is very appealing when you consider the claim that in order to stop your stuttering you just need to plug an earpiece in your ear and you are good to go. It’s my experience and observation that the results are not satisfying enough.
WorkshopsThese are businesses which offer psychological solutions. They are more in the line of self development. NLP(Neuro Linguistic Programming) is one of those programs besides relaxation, meditation,etc. I know a lot of stutterers who have attended these workshops. I also went through a 3-day NLP workshop when I was in the process of working on my speech to overcome stuttering. Considering my experiences and the feedback I received from all those people who have attended those workshops, I think it is not a complete solution by itself. It is very beneficial that they address the mental aspect of stuttering, but I still think they need to understand, come from a stutterer’s perspective and address the physical aspect of the problem as well. Those programs also lack real world experiences. Stuttering is not a problem which can be solved in a classroom. The results stutterers are looking for is in the everyday real world situation, therefore training should take place in the real world.
Online SolutionsThese are increasing every single day. However, you need to be really careful with these websites. Since coming up with a website and claiming you are a “guru” in the field of stuttering is not rocket science, you should be very careful who the person/company is and what their credentials are. I have to warn you about approaching those sites. Stay away from promises such as “cure your stuttering in 3 minutes 27 seconds” kind of programs or the ones which uses “stuttering cure” as a catch to advertise their businesses.Make sure they care about you and they know what they are talking about. Look for trust, bonding, authority, knowledge, expertise, experience, high quality.
Of course the decision is yours but whichever option you choose to go with, make sure you approach the subject holistically. Yes there is no cure for stuttering, but with the help of effective tools/techniques, step-by-step models, proven strategies and last but not least with the right mentality, you can overcome your stuttering challenge effectively and permanently.
Tags: speech and language teaching, speech therapy