Who knew, but today is International Stuttering Awareness Day. The nonprofit Stuttering Foundation wants you to know that there are speech-language pathologists in your area who specialize in helping people who stutter.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,

Stuttering affects the fluency of speech. It begins during childhood and, in some cases, lasts throughout life. The disorder is characterized by disruptions in the production of speech sounds, also called “disfluencies.” [...] In most cases, stuttering has an impact on at least some daily activities.

Most treatment programs for people who stutter are “behavioral.” They are designed to teach the person specific skills or behaviors that lead to improved oral communication. For instance, many SLPs teach people who stutter to control and/or monitor the rate at which they speak. In addition, people may learn to start saying words in a slightly slower and less physically tense manner. They may also learn to control or monitor their breathing. When learning to control speech rate, people often begin by practicing smooth, fluent speech at rates that are much slower than typical speech, using short phrases and sentences. Over time, people learn to produce smooth speech at faster rates, in longer sentences, and in more challenging situations until speech sounds both fluent and natural. “Follow-up” or “maintenance” sessions are often necessary after completion of formal intervention to prevent relapse.

They also offer suggestions how to better communicate with people who stutter. Suggestions include mainly giving the person who stutters time to say what they want to say, without interrupting, trying to finish someone’s thought, or suggesting they “relax.” In other words, be patient and treat them with respect. Stuttering is a speech disorder, not a cognitive disorder — there’s nothing wrong with the person’s thinking or hearing (so talking to them like there is is inappropriate and unhelpful).

Need more information or a referral to a speech language therapist? Contact the Stuttering Foundation toll-free at 800-992-9392, or visit their website for more information and a referral. (The materials are also in 8,500 libraries nationwide.) You can also find a professional at the American Speech Language-Hearing Association.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 22 Oct 2008
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