Stuttering is classified as a speech disorder. People who stutter usually repeat sounds, syllables, and words. Or they tend to have uneven speech rate or have difficulty in communicating thoughts in a flow. It is more common than you think, and about 70 million people worldwide get affected by the same. About 5% of children stutter at some point, and from that, 1 in 5 will stutter in their adulthood.
Stuttering can become a hindrance to daily life. Traditionally, only speech therapy was used in treating stuttering. Over time, there have been treatments like psychological counseling, assistive devices, and prescription medication, which are less effective than speech therapy. Speech therapy involves changing their breathing patterns, controlling the speaking rate, pausing when necessary, practicing word lists, and reading aloud. A lot of times, speech therapy can be really beneficial for children and adults, but then the relapse happens.
It is really devastating when relapse happens. If you are one among the people who got relapsed or seeing your loved one go through, have you wondered the reasons?
- Failing to Practice: Speech therapy can be taken from an experienced and certified practitioner. But the time given by them is limited and can be an expensive affair, whether you are paying from your own pocket or your insurance. The ideal thing is to learn the techniques, come back home, and practice every single day. Our Stamurai app helps you keep up the practice with different sets. And, you can set a reminder which works for you, or better yet, we shall send you reminders anyways.
- Lack of Motivation and Interest: Speech therapy does not work like magic for stuttering. It is a long process of learning and practicing. But, without proper motivation or the thought of doing the same thing over and over again for a prolonged time, can make one lose interest. To fight it, try and make it interesting. You can try playing while practicing like shooting hoops or solving a puzzle. And, if you want to keep your interest in children, then make it an adventure game. Pair an activity you love that does not need too much focus with speech therapy to keep it light.
- Lack of Self-Correction and Monitoring: When not in a professional setting or guided by professionals, sometimes what you think is right can be a wrong way to do it. But this is a strange territory, as worrying too much also does not do any good. Only way is to strike a balance by seeing you are on track on and off. Also, it is always good idea to include new things or phrases to increase your confidence level.
These three are very crucial if you want your speech therapy to be a success. But one must remember that other factors that contributes to failure as well. Such as:
- Gender: According to research done in 1983, females who have stuttering problem recovered, and was able to maintain success than male.
- Genetics: Family history matters in the outcome of the treatment. People who have stuttering in their family history have high chances of relapse.
- Relationship with Support Group and Therapist: If you do not have a good relationship with your therapist, do not hesitate to look for another. Or if your support group is not as supportive, it is time to give up and look for a different group.
- Neurological Load: Whether it is kids, teens, or adults, everyone is burdened with their set of jobs to do apart from the practice. So, most of the time they are worn out before starting practice.
Check out our Stamurai App that can be downloaded for Android and Apple devices. It is easy to use, simple, and makes practice fun. We also have incorporated a tracker, which will hold you responsible for the amount of practice, just like your fitness trackers. Have any questions? Talk to us at support@stamurai.com!
