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From: Vivian Sisskin
Date: 05 Oct 2009
Time: 11:11:00 -0500
Remote Name: 129.2.24.10
An interesting feature of stuttering is that the symptoms change over time. Stuttering in older children and adults looks very different from stuttering in very young children. The compensating and adjusting that Greg is referring to can end up being helpful or harmful to forward moving speech. Unfortunately young children do not consult anyone when they try these strategies on their own (using “uh”, pushing harder, repeating the previous phrase, hand tapping, etc). These behaviors generally work to help release the block initially (perhaps due to distraction and escape from the block), and they often become tied or conditioned to the stuttering pattern. So the next time the person gets blocked, they try some of the compensatory strategies that have worked in the past. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. Eventually, they become part of the presenting pattern (someone who taps, losses eye contact, and restarts sentences in order to get out of the block). Learning some helpful compensatory strategies to replace the maladaptive ones can be helpful and can reduce the struggle. Sometimes therapy strategies can help. However, good old common sense can be surprisingly effective. Instead of hitting hands or head jerking, for example he might chose to go ahead and stutter directly on the intended word. That word will be quite bumpy at first, but after some desensitization, more comfort will be a byproduct of not interfering with forward moving speech. These choices are not easy to make initially, and may require the help of a speech language pathologist. But just understanding why the struggle behaviors develop can be enough to help someone make some good choices.