Music Therapy Interventions for Improving Fluency Among People Who Stutter

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Re: questions from a grad student- CW Post

From: Erika Shira
Date: 19 Oct 2008
Time: 12:18:29 -0500
Remote Name: 66.92.76.147

Comments

Wow, great questions! "1) Is music therapy a popular therapy done now to help a person who stutters?" I'd say it's not super common, as in, most people with stuttering (particularly if they're cognitively and psychiatrically pretty typical folks) would go to a SLP and/or a counselor. I would guess that most MTs have probably worked with at least a few people on goals of fluency and/or smoothing out other motor movements. Maybe not everyone has worked with people who would fit a diagnosis of stuttering per se, but certainly people with motor disorders or with ASD who can benefit from smoothing out their vocalizations. "2) Does this type of therapy work on people of all ages, or is it more effective on one age bracket over another?" Well, it's not effective for everyone. Age has been discussed in several threads here. I wouldn't say there's any one age bracket where it's a whole lot more or less effective, though there are certainly age ranges and other cultural considerations that make it easier for people to try new things and be spontaneous in their interactions. "3)When the client is not in therapy, how much should they practice at home? Should they take some time to practice their singing or should they practice while in conversation?" Well, the types of interventions I described can't be practiced at home, unless you have a music therapist at home. I discussed in another thread some similar things one might try at home that could be effective (and certainly wouldn't be harmful), but I haven't tried them. "4)At what point in time should the client start to fade out singing and begin to speak regularly?" This has been discussed in several other threads. Feel free to browse through! "5)What are the different techniques used through this to assist in motor skills versus the social/emotional issues?" This has pretty much been covered in other threads; I can't really think of anything more to say, but if you can think of any more specific things you'd want to know, please ask. "6) Can a SLP have a client practice through singing, or does this type of therapy have to be done solely through a music therapist?" Well, using singing is very different from music therapy interventions. SLPs frequently use singing in their work. An SLP wouldn't be able to do the interventions described here unless s/he is a music therapist or has taken music therapy coursework. SLP training covers voice work and use of singing, but doesn't cover things like clinical guitar skills, clinical use of different modes and scales, music composition, etc.


Last changed: 10/19/08