Goals
In general, stuttering therapy aims to reduce stuttering to some degree in an individual, although there is disagreement about acceptable treatment outcomes from stuttering therapy. Some believe the only acceptable therapy outcome is a significant reduction in or total elimination of stuttering, others believe that speech which contains some stuttering, as long as the stuttering has become less tense and effortful, is just as acceptable, and yet others believe that the most important therapy outcome is the increased confidence a person has in his or her ability to talk, whether or not stuttering continues to be present. Additionally, the many different methods available for treating stuttering, and a history of promoting unsuccessful treatments, have left both stutterers and clinicians confused and frustrated about what can be accomplished with stuttering treatment.
In 1997, experts argued that in the case of a stutterer seeking professional treatment from a clinician, the "preferred treatment outcome" is that the stutterer will demonstrate feelings, behaviors, and thinking that lead to improved communicative performance and satisfaction with the therapy process. They argued that the criteria for a treatment to be viewed as successful includes the stutterer being satisfied with her therapy program and its outcome, feeling that she has an increased ability to communicate effectively, feeling more comfortable as a speaker, and believing that she is better able to reach her social, educational and vocational goals.
Robert W. Quesal, an associate professor who teaches courses in fluency disorders, anatomy, and speech and hearing science, defined successful stuttering therapy as one that leads to a change in speech fluency, a reduction in the impact of stuttering on an individual's life, and an increased acceptance of stuttering on the part of the stutterer; and J. Scott Yaruss, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh, suggests three instruments for clinicians to use to document changes in the stuttering of their clients: the reaction of the stutterer to the fact that she stutters, how much stuttering interferes with the stutterer's ability to perform daily tasks, and the impact that stuttering has on the client's ability to pursue their life goals.
Read more about this topic: Stuttering Therapy
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