Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/Stuttering Therapy Long-Term (In)Effectiveness

How effective is stuttering therapy?

The best study I've seen found that a three-week intensive fluency shaping therapy program reduced stuttering from 15-20% stuttered syllables to 1-2% stuttered syllables. 12 to 24 months after therapy, about 70% of the stutterers had satisfactory fluency. About 5% were marginally successful. About 25% had unsatisfactory fluency.

At the end of another fluency shaping stuttering therapy program, about 95% of stutterers were &quot;very satisfied&quot; or &quot;satisfied&quot; with their speech. A year later, their satisfaction dropped to 43%.

The only published study of stuttering modification therapy found that the program &quot;&#133;appears to be ineffective in producing durable improvements in stuttering behaviors.&quot; But experts touted the therapy as &quot;one of the finest programs in the country.&quot;

A large study of children who stutter compared therapy with a speech-language pathologist, to therapy with parents who were trained by a speech-language pathologist, to therapy with computers. The computers produced the best long-term results (about 60% effective), the parents second-best (about 50% effective), and the speech-language pathologists worst (about 30% effective).

Nine adult stutterers used my company's delayed auditory feedback (DAF) anti-stuttering devices thirty minutes per day for three months. The subjects received no therapy from speech-language pathologists. Three months later the subjects' speech had improved more than 50%, when they weren't using the devices (see Long-Term Effects of DAF).

You can read more about these studies in the chapter Long-Term Studies of Stuttering Therapy.

The conclusion I infer from these studies is that stuttering therapy shouldn't center on the speech-language pathologist. Don't go to a speech clinic with an attitude like you're taking your car to a shop to get repaired. A speech-language pathologist isn't going to fix you (or your child) while you passively wait.

Stuttering therapy should center on you, the stutterer. Stuttering therapy is more like taking your car to a shop where a mechanic teaches you to diagnosis and fix problems, and loans you tools.

Your car will likely run well in the shop or driving on a quiet, smooth street. But sometimes you'll have to drive on rocky, mountain roads or on a high-speed racetrack, where you're likely to break down. Your mechanic won't be there. Only your training and your tools will keep you on the road.

Some drivers need a Hummer for four-wheel drive roads. Other drivers need a Corvette for racetracks. Some mechanics need the latest computers and electronics in their toolboxes. Other mechanics can fix anything with just a screwdriver and a monkey wrench.

Stuttering therapy can fail because you selected the wrong mechanic for your needs, who gives you the wrong tools. Or you can find the right mechanic, with the right tools, but you let the mechanic do all the work, and you leave the tools at the shop. This book will guide you to find the speech-language pathologist(s) and the tools you need, and also help you keep your wheels turning on the rough roads away from the speech clinic.


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