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Stuttering is a disorder that can be successfully treated today. In the treatment of logoneurosis, both traditional methods and innovative developments of recent years are used.
Traditional treatments for stuttering
Surely, many people have noticed such a feature in stuttering patients – their speech defect disappears during singing. This is because the words are spoken in a singsong voice, so breathing works differently. It is this characteristic of human speech that formed the basis for the treatment of stuttering by the method of breathing exercises.
Breathing exercises according to Strelnikova in the treatment of stuttering
Strelnikova A. N. developed a set of exercises aimed at working out the respiratory organs. Performing gymnastics allows you to normalize the speech of the child, helps him get rid of stuttering. Not only children, but also adults can be engaged in the Strelnikova system. Of course, it will be more difficult for them to cope with stuttering than for small patients, but progress will definitely be noticed.
The Strelnikova complex includes 10 exercises. Two of them, which are fundamental in stuttering, will be described below.
An integrated approach to the treatment of stuttering
To cope with stuttering, you can use neurological techniques.
A person will need to follow the following recommendations of specialists:
Medications. The doctor may prescribe drugs that inhibit the excessive activity of psychological processes and eliminate convulsions. Tranquilizers are also shown.
Sedative drugs. Preference is given to herbal medicines.
Psychotherapy sessions.
Stuttering is a common problem, so medical science is constantly looking for solutions to eliminate it. In America, not so long ago, a drug was developed to treat patients with stuttering. It has already been tested on laboratory mice. Therefore, it is likely that this disorder will soon be managed with the help of drugs. D. Maguire, who works at the University of California, is convinced that stuttering is caused by excessive production of dopamine in the body. You can suppress its production with the help of Haloperidol. However, this drug has many side effects, so its mass intake should not be allowed. The doctor suggests using olanzapine to treat stuttering. This drug is undergoing clinical trials and will soon be launched into mass production (subject to successful trials).
Of course, parents whose children suffer from stuttering are seriously concerned about this problem. Moreover, his treatment is stretched for a long time. This pushes adults to rash acts. They turn to healers and witches to cure a child from stuttering with the help of conspiracies. However, cases of “magic” getting rid of the problem are transmitted only in words, but there is not a single document that would confirm these miracles. Therefore, one should trust more official medicine, which has made an impressive breakthrough in this area.
Volkova G. A. (1979, 1994). The professor is of the opinion that children who suffer from stuttering should be dealt with exclusively through the prism of play activities. This allows you to simulate various situations that work out the events inherent in real life. Thus, it will be possible to normalize the process of interaction with other people. As a result, the child develops the necessary personal qualities, the existing deviations are corrected.
Gerkina M. I. (1972). The scientist took into account the fact that stuttering is situational in nature, so she suggested correcting speech with the help of story games. First, the child works out a fictional plot situation in which there is no real interlocutor. Then they move on to role playing. The speech therapist offers a plot, during the implementation of which it stimulates the active speech of the child, directs it in the right direction. A similar approach was followed by Pellinger E. M. and her co-authors (1995).
Cheveleva N. A. (1978). The scientist believes that for the most effective correction of stuttering in children, it is best to use calm activities. She points out that the optimal occupation for this is labor, namely, the creation of crafts. The therapy involves the successive passage of several stages: propaedeutic (speech based on visual images), final speech (characterizes the action performed), preliminary speech (without relying on the past), consolidation of active speech. At the same time, the author of the methodology completely rejected the idea of using breathing, speech and other exercises.
Yastrebova A. V. (1999). She created a program to treat schoolchildren with stuttering. The scientist proposed a number of speech therapy classes that pursue the formation of free speech skills, the improvement of thought processes, the development of the ability to quickly shift attention from one type of activity to another.
Bogomolov (1977). The author is of the opinion that too much attention should not be paid to the study of neurological disorders. She is convinced that it is possible to cope with stuttering with the help of speech therapy classes, and in the process of correcting speech, the neurological sphere will recover on its own. She suggests working out speech, accompanying it with conducting hand movements.
T.Berendes (1963). The author’s technique is based on the use of G. Staabs’ “scenotest”. From the staged games that the child himself builds, it is possible to isolate a hidden conflict, which, according to the scientist, leads to stuttering. At the same time, the baby gets rid of internal psychological stress. The author proposes to enhance the therapeutic effect with the help of autogenic exercises and hypnosis.
Seliverstov V.I. (2000). His program is designed for therapy in a hospital setting. The child will have to perform speech exercises. Their complexity is determined depending on the existing speech disorders.
Abeleva I. Yu. (1969). She suggests starting the correction of stuttering with the study of speech technique. To do this, the child will have to perform voice, breathing and articulation exercises. In the future, he is offered the performance of speech tasks, which gradually become more difficult. However, modern science indicates that in addition to speech exercises, the patient should receive physiotherapy, psychotherapy and medication.
Lyubinskaya S. M. (1970), Missulovin L. Ya. (1988), Nekrasova Yu. B., Orlovskaya S. F. (1966), Shklovsky V. M. (1979, 1994). These authors at different times developed their own methods for the treatment of stuttering in children. However, all their works are united by the fact that they propose to use autogenic training not as a monomethod, but in combination with psychotherapeutic effects and medication.
Karvasarsky B. D. (1990). He offers group therapy sessions that are combined with elements of imperative suggestion according to K. M. Dubrovsky (1966). At the same time, the fear of speech that patients experience must be opposed to new positive emotions.
Nekrasova Y. B. (1984). The author proposes a technique that allows for a short period of time to change the patient’s attitude to suffering. Sessions of emotional stress therapy, which, among other things, were offered by Karvasarsky, make it possible to form a person’s readiness to overcome the existing psychological barrier. This will allow him to talk without a hitch, even at the peak of emotional excitement.
Shklovsky V. M. (1994). The scientist introduced a session of suggestion during a person’s wakefulness into a complex treatment regimen. This method allows the patient to cope with the fear of speech during emotional excitement. Treatment methods are adapted to the age of the patients.
Max L., Cariso A (1997), Onslow M (1997). Scientists pointed out that under the influence of speech therapy training, the prosodic side of speech changes in patients, which is very important in terms of getting rid of stuttering.
Zeetan M. (1962). The author considers the slowing down of speech as the main principle of treatment. This allows the patient to control his breathing, voice and articulation, and also relieves tension from the muscles, making it possible to avoid convulsions. The author is extremely negative about monotonous speech, which has no dynamics.
G. Andrews (1982, 1983), P. A. Resick, P. Wendiggensen, S. Ates, V. Meyer (1975). The authors are of the opinion that the maximum result can be achieved if the patient is taught slow speech techniques. Some scientists even believe that only this technique is enough to cure a person from stuttering.
Povarova I. A. (2000, 2001, 2002). The author believes that the violation of the pace and rhythm of speech is the main problem of stuttering people. If we trace the dynamics of these indicators in a particular patient, it will be possible to create the most effective scheme of speech therapy. It is imperative to work on the intonation of the patient. Expressive speech must be formed from the first lessons.
Yastrebova A. Ya. (1962, 1999). The author emphasizes the need to study the intonation of the patient. She suggests focusing on developing the ability to listen to another person’s speech. The more expressive the speech of the patient himself, the more efforts he will make in order to own his own voice. Treatment should be systematic and move from easy to difficult tasks.
Shembel A. Mr. (1961). The author suggests starting work on intonation at the final stage of speech therapy. However, medical science does not agree with this approach.
A. Liebmann (1901). The author was categorically against monotonous speech in the treatment of patients, as it attracts even more attention from the surrounding people. Thus, aggravating the psychological discomfort of a stutterer and negatively affecting the progression of the disorder. However, he did not deny that in some cases monotonous speech should still be used.
I. A. Sikorsky (1889). Back in 1889, the scientist found that monotonous speech cannot have a positive effect on the process of treating patients with stuttering, but it is advisable to use it at the initial stages of treating the disease. This technique allows you to stop the spasms of the muscles responsible for speech.
Tyapugin N. P. (1966). The scientist pointed out that regardless of the age of the patient, it is necessary to direct efforts to re-educate the patient’s speech. The author believes that it is necessary to teach a person to speak smoothly and at a slightly slower pace.
J. Brady (1969). The scientist believes that a slight slowdown in the rate of speech allows you to cope with convulsions, and therefore, with almost any case of stuttering.
Meshcherskaya L. N. (1982). She indicates that slowing down the rate of speech negatively affects the treatment of stuttering. At the same time, the author does not recommend completely abandoning the slowdown, but, in her opinion, it should be minimal. The patient’s speech itself should be close to a normal pace.
G. Andrews, P. Howie (1981). At the initial stage of treatment, scientists suggest slowing down speech to 50 syllables per minute. Then smoothly the pace of speech should be increased.
Wiesel T. G. (1997). The scientist insists that the rate of speech, regardless of the type of therapeutic effect on the patient, should be normal, but taking into account his individual characteristics of the speed of pronunciation of words. As the patient masters the basics of the program, it is required to complicate the rhythm and semantic load of the phrases that he pronounces.
Andronova L. Z. (1993). The author points out that teachers and scientists should not force the patient to slow down his speech. She recommends starting the therapy process with pronunciation of words in syllables, in combination with finger movements.
Vessat O. V. (1983), Zhinkin N. I. (1958), Kuzmin Yu. I. (1991), Missulovin (1988). These authors studied the influence of instrumentation on the process of treatment for stuttering. As practice has shown, drowning out speech with noise does not bring a positive effect. While the acoustic feedback delay reduces the number of stuttering and slows down the patient’s speech. The authors proposed a method for the treatment of stuttering using the AIR apparatus.
Danilov I. V., Cherepanov I. M. (1970). Scientists have been studying the influence of the metronome on the speech of patients. They were able to establish that 60 beats of a metronome per minute can increase the speech speed of patients with a tonic form of the disorder by 83%. The frequency of 2,17 Hz makes it possible to increase the speech speed of patients with clonic stuttering.
Lokhov M. I., Fesenko Yu. A. (2000). They found that the optimal fusion of speech in patients with a mixed type of stuttering can be formed at a metronome frequency of 1,4 Hz.
Andronova L. Z., Lokhov M. I. (1983). Scientists have developed a method for the treatment of stuttering, which is based on photophonostimulation with the administration of small doses of Etimizol. The frequency of photophonostimulation is selected on the basis of the EEG, during which the assimilation of the rhythm by a particular patient is established.
Angushev GI (1974). The scientist devoted his works to the process of studying the role of arbitrary control of the activity that a person performs. He found that in stuttering individuals the regulation of voluntary and involuntary actions is higher than in healthy people. This leads to the fact that the work of the speech apparatus cannot be automated. To achieve automatism, constant training is required.
Korolevskaya T. K. (1996), Orlova O. S. (2003), Povarova I. A. (1995), Smetankin A. A. (1999, 2002). These scientists pointed to the positive impact on the process of speech production of the BFB method (biofeedback). Training using this method allows the patient to develop a new stereotype of speech formation. The patient learns to control the respiratory function, improves the skills of voice formation.
As it becomes clear, there are many approaches to the treatment of stuttering. However, modern views are such that complex treatment is required to fully get rid of a speech defect.