Some people feel that stuttering therapies cannot possibly be 100% effective, since there are such wide-ranging degrees of success given to any stuttering treatment. Perhaps the best they can hope for is some degree of satisfaction from the stutterer, which can be achieved by at least reducing the stuttering. Many say that the best treatment remedies improve self-confidence and language skills. Most doctors say treating stuttering in adults takes a combination approach that treats emotional effects and disfluency.

With regard to children, it was discovered that a computer-based anti-stuttering program with minimal interaction from speech-language pathologists held the most promise for keeping disfluency rates below 2%. In the 1996 “Controlled Clinical Trial for Stuttering in Persons Aged 9 to 14 Years,” researchers found that 71% of the children treated with computer programs and minimal speech pathologist interaction became fluent, compared to 63% of the children whose parents were trained by a speech pathologist to complete therapy at home, and 48% of children treated by the actual pathologist him/herself. These findings shed light on the important role of family when it comes to language skills.

It is important to note that all stuttering therapies are not created equal. There are over 100,000 so-called “speech-language pathologists” in America, yet fewer than 500 are actually certified fluency specialists. There is a growing sub-set of stuttering program peddlers who promise speech improvement through hypnosis, herbal supplements, motivational tapes and more. For stuttering in children, the most effective method — according to studies — is, in fact, one of these self-help methods involving at home computer programs that are studied with loving, supportive parents.

While stuttering therapies are undoubtedly important, it is also crucial that people with speech problems seek out others enduring similar challenges. Support groups began to pick up in popularity in 2002 and are now considered an important part of any therapeutic program. Most speech pathologists refer their clients to local group therapy resources now. The National Stuttering Association reported that 57.1% of survey respondents reported that stuttering support groups affected their self-images very positively, while no respondents reported a negative impact. Even though the answers aren’t so clear, many researchers say the best results come from early pre-k intervention programs and that, the older one is, the more difficult it is to uproot ingrained patterns.

As a leading expert in the field of anxiety disorders and panic attacks, Beth Kaminski is always on the lookout for how to treating panic disorder. Visit her site for more information on her treating panic disorder and much more.

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