Techniques That Help People Who Stutter

The manner in which you speak influences how others think of you. If you stutter, you may have difficulty expression how you feel, and your self-esteem can suffer. Take control of your stuttering and learn strategies, techniques and methods to improve your speech and reduce or eliminate your speech disorder.

Fluency Shaping Therapy

• With the help of a speech therapist you can learn how to slow down your speech and become more fluent. During therapy, you say short phrases or sentences in a very slow manner and stretch vowels and consonants. Over time, the rate at which you speak increases. You also learn to control and monitor your breathing; how to properly breathe while speaking; and how to articulate using your lips, tongue and jaw.

Stuttering Therapy Devices

• If you stutter and speak in unison with someone else, your stuttering goes away and your speech becomes fluent. Various electronic speech devices utilize this practice. You wear the electronic device in your ear, similar to a hearing aid. When you speak, the device alters your voice and plays it back to you. You listen to your own voice with a slight delay in it or in a different pitch. You feel as if you are speaking in unison, which makes your speech more fluent.

Techniques at Home

• Parents of a child that stutters can incorporate various techniques that will make their stuttering child feel at ease with his way of speaking. Instead of getting angry at your child for stuttering, allow him time to complete his words and sentences, because any added stress only makes stuttering worse. Let your child know it is okay to stutter and that he can still have a normal conversation. Create a relaxed home environment and avoid pressuring your child to talk. Speak slowly when speaking to your child, and set the right example.

Speech Modification Therapy

• Modification of stuttering is a technique that doesn't get rid of your stuttering, but adjusts the manner in which you stutter, requiring less effort. After identifying feelings and behaviors associated with stuttering, the therapist incorporates desensitizing techniques. The stutterer overcomes his anxiety and fear of speaking by confronting difficult words. He stutters on purpose and learns how to pause and repeat words. Eventually, fear and anxiety subside and the stutterer's speech becomes more fluent and stuttering occurs only occasionally.