Stuttering is treatable
One percent of adults in Germany stutter. That doesn’t sound like much, but these 800,000 stutterers are exposed to enormous psychological pressure, they are insecure and not infrequently isolated. Patients are usually faced with the major problem of having to decide between very different forms of therapy. Aristotle, Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, “Mr. Bean” Rowan Atkinson, Bruce Willis and Dieter Thomas Heck all had and still have the same problem: stuttering. And they are prominent examples that stuttering can be overcome. However, experts do not speak of a cure, because only rarely do patients succeed in speaking completely without stuttering.
Stuttering is loss of control
Stuttering is the loss of control over the speech apparatus, not at all a psychological disorder. Stuttering can be divided into three different forms: clonic stuttering, in which individual letters are repeated during speech, tonic stuttering, in which the flow of speech is interrupted, downright blocked, and a mixed form of clonic and tonic stuttering. During stuttering, the body tenses, the facial muscles tighten, breathing becomes irregular, the patient blushes and sweats. Many stutterers are masters of avoidance, namely of words and situations, which leads to great psychological stress at work and in leisure time. If negative reactions from fellow human beings are added, ridicule or even rejection, isolation follows all too often.
Stuttering begins in childhood
Stuttering begins early, namely in childhood between two and five years, when the child develops particularly quickly linguistically, physically, mentally and emotionally. However, by puberty, stuttering fades in most adolescents. Boys are four times more likely to be affected than girls. The reason why some children start stuttering is unknown. However, it is now known that a predisposition to stuttering can be inherited, as people who stutter are about three times more likely to have family members who stutter than people without these symptoms. It is interesting to note that stutterers speak much more fluently when they whisper, speak in time or in chorus, or when they sing. However, if communicative pressure arises, such as during telephone calls or job interviews, or especially with children at school, then stuttering occurs more frequently. If parents recognize the above-mentioned symptoms in their children, they should immediately seek advice from speech therapists and speech therapy pedagogues – waiting for the problem to resolve itself is of no use. For school children, not all parents know, stuttering means a disability in the legal sense. In concrete cases, this means compensation for disadvantages such as alternatives to oral exams – the Bundesvereinigung Stotterer-Selbsthilfe e.V. (Federal Association of Stutterers’ Self-Help) advises on such problems at school, among other things. In children, the chances are very good that the symptoms will disappear again.
Therapies for adults
It is different with adults, who usually have to continuously treat their stuttering throughout their lives. Basically, this is particularly important in the orientation about possible therapies, one distinguishes between two approaches: The so-called “Fluency Shaping”, in German “flüssiges Sprechen lernen”. Here, special techniques are learned that change the speech itself by first strongly alienating it. The vowels, for example, are strongly stretched, breathing is controlled, and speech movements are performed without too much use of muscles. Gradually, speech becomes more natural again, but remains a very conscious, because controlled process. The second therapy is stuttering modification, also known as the non-avoidance approach or Van Riper therapy. Words at which stuttering begins are not avoided, but are pronounced in a conscious and controlled manner using speech techniques. This method requires that one’s own fears and negative expectations be reduced beforehand. Both approaches are considered effective, only which is the right one must be determined by the therapist individually. Hypnosis or psychotherapy are useful, if at all, only for short-term improvements and concomitant with speech therapies. Medications, usually for muscle relaxation, work only as long as they are taken and are not without side effects. Health insurance companies pay for such therapies, which, if they are serious, should be for a longer period of time; they should also offer exercises outside the therapy room – on the street, in concrete situations.Aftercare and a relapse program are important – and they must not promise a cure, because there is no such thing. But a good therapy designed for the long term leads to a significant improvement and even freedom from symptoms.
