Can a stutter get better?
Stutters can be very apparent in some individuals. My cousins have had a stutter from a young age, and it never seemed to go away. If you receive the right therapy from a speech pathologist, could a stutter ever fully disappear? Or do they get better over time?
Hello Araineri,
This is an interesting question.To your first question:”could a stutter ever fully disappear?”,my response would be I don’t think so. Speech therapy could help a person gain much fluency so much so that the untrained ear may not notice the stutter. But the stutter would always be there I believe. The person may overcome the covert aspect of stuttering(the negative internalized feelings associated with stuttering) but there’ll still be traces of the speech blocks, repetitions etc. in their speech from time to time.
To your other question:”..do they get better over time?”,this I believe is mostly the case when the person puts in efforts to work on their stutter through speech therapy and other personal commitments. Using my own case as an example, my stutter has gotten better over time because I decided to work on the covert aspect of it. I have improved on my fluency now because I’ve overcome one element that aggravates stuttering; which is the fear and anxiety of stuttering.
So in a nutshell, I believe stuttering never goes away but it can get extremely better when commitments are made to improve ( even though the longevity of your stutter does not necessarily mean it’ll get better).
Keep enjoying the conference!
Elias.
I don’t believe stuttering will ever go away, but it depends on what the cause of a person’s stuttering is, as there are different kinds, obtained by different causes. But most of them are genetic, and genes are a part of your body.
Can stuttering be controlled? This also depends on the kind of stuttering, when it started and why, how early and what the kind of treatment is, the culture and the way people react to one’s stutter, there are so many factors that influence one’s stutter, even a person’s health, background noise, the person you speak with, etc. And this is why therapy is so hard, as there are so many varieties and inner and outer components.
I’d say you can work on your stutter by trying different techniques and see what works for you, maybe even a combination, together with working on how you feel about your stutter and to expend your comfort zones. But also your surroundings are crucial, so you can educate so that people understand and give you a better speaking environment.
I’ve known people who stutter who’ve learned to control their stutter and seemingly “got over it”, but at later age, when they no longer control their speech, it’s still there. Others who stuttered a life time stutter less when they get older (or care less, and thus letting go of tension and emotional hurdles, which can help to stutter less).
So your cousin might benefit from speech therapy, trying different techniques (this doesn’t have to be speech techniques, as it can also be yoga, mindfulness, CBT, singing, public speaking etc, think out of the box), and even trying different therapists. But also for family and friends to now focus on the stuttering, but to make your cousin feel at ease and accepted no matter what, create a safe speaking environment without interruptions, etc. And know stuttering is never going into one direction, but changes from day to day, from moment to moment. So the best thing for both your cousin and for you is to see the person behind the stutter, to stutter without holding back and to live life to its fullest. 🙂
Keep talking and happy ISAD
Anita