Sometimes children will simply outgrow stuttering and no stuttering therapy is needed at all. Yet, other times, kids will continue to stutter past age 5 or for more than six months, in which case speech therapy may be needed. Many parents feel that early intervention and training kids to monitor themselves are effective techniques to diminish the frequency of stuttering. Sometimes therapists will have children start off speaking very slowly and will gradually work them back up to a normal rate again. Delayed auditory feedback devices have been known to help some kids as well.

There is a hung jury over when to begin therapy for stuttering. Some people say that pre-k is too early and that most of these kids will simply outgrow stuttering on their own and that early intervention can undermine a child’s confidence levels. However, the tide is slowly turning toward sending kids in for stuttering control early-on. The latest research shows that the sooner a child receives treatment, the higher the chances of that child gaining lasting fluency. At the American Institute for Stuttering, kids ages 2 to 6 will arrive for weekly sessions that involve parents and caretakers.

Teens and adults who need help for a stuttering problem will likely need more intensive stuttering therapy, as the longer childhood stuttering goes on, the harder it is to fix the problem. The American Institute for Stuttering offers more than 95 hours over a 3-4 week period, along with a follow-up support network, to assist these people who stutter. Stuttering has changed attitudes about life, behavioral tendencies and self esteem for most individuals, so more angles will need to be taken to cure the affliction in adults. According to the AIS website: “We have learned that people not only need to learn how to change the way their speech mechanism works but that the physical speech management must be supported by changes on psychological and emotional levels as well.”

Many people wonder what stuttering therapy actually does. People who stutter spend a few hours during their session speaking challenging words syllable by syllable, slowing their rate of speech down, reading aloud with others, undergoing self-esteem boosting counseling and social group exercises to eliminate anxiety. Support groups play a critical role in recovery and simply can’t be recreated through self-help options. These classes are attended regularly a couple times each week until the individuals are thinking, speaking and feeling much better.

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