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A Few Known Stuttering Therapy Choices

8th December, 2009 - Posted by health news - No Comments

There are many great success stories for children who complete stuttering therapy. Before therapy, many kids report feeling “like the only person in the world who stuttered” and “frustrated or angry” with themselves. A speech program, whether at a private clinic, one of the stuttering associations or at a school will not only guide the child in overcoming the speech disorder, but it will also instill the self-confidence needed for the child to succeed. So often, emotions get in the way of recovery. It should be noted that many kids overcome stuttering on their own, but parents should consider therapy if the condition persists past age 5 or for more than six months.

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.

Stuttering therapy for teens and adults is significantly more complex. Teens and adults will need to learn how they can change limiting beliefs, stop avoiding social situations and overcome road blocks to fluent speech. The stuttering program will also need to deal with emotional pain, like low self-esteem, depression and anxiety. Often the best mentors are people who have overcome stuttering themselves and who can offer a realistic light at the end of the tunnel. More information on adult programs can be found at www.stutteringtreatment.org.

Prescribed drugs are another form of stuttering therapy that has received a lot of attention in recent years. For 10 years now, dopamine-blocking stuttering medication has been used with some success. Some patients reported weight gain and blood sugar increases, although their stuttering decreased. Just this year, a revolutionary new drug called pagoclone is undergoing clinical trials to some success. Instead of blocking dopamine, this drug increases the natural neurochemical GABA, which has been hypothesized to play a role in speech problems like stuttering. In an early study of 130 adults, pagoclone was found to improve symptoms in more than 50% of the affected population. It also decreased speech anxiety in all of the patients. For more information on these trials, visit www.stutteringstudy.com.

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