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From: J Scott Yaruss, Univ of Pittsburgh
Date: 03 Oct 2011
Time: 23:36:39 -0500
Remote Name: 72.194.64.133
Hi Frank - interesting question. I think that it's fair to say that we'd all like to see more treatment research in stuttering. One major problem that we face is that there are just fewer researchers in the field today than there were once upon a time. There are many excellent researchers working on issues like genetics and medications, as you said, as well as neuroimaging and other important areas. There are also excellent researchers focusing on treatment, but the work is complicated and slow, funding is limited, and the field just plain needs more people doing the work. I think - though this is just because our knowledge is limited at this point - that we may someday find that there are only so many different things that one might try in order to enhance fluency. Perhaps the majority of those have already been explored; perhaps not. Another thing to keep in mind, though, is that treatment involves far more than just working on speech (whether that be in terms of speech fluency enhancement or stuttering modification). Another key component of therapy addresses the affective and cognitive reactions to stuttering, and this can be addressed through a variety of means. There are also issues related to improving functional communication, quality of life, social interaction, etc... There are advances there, but again, there is much work to be done. I hope this helps to answer your question...I'll look forward to input from others! Take care, Scott