Can stuttering be cured?

CAN STUTTERING BE CURED? NO
CAN STUTTERING LEAD TO IMPROVED FLUENCY? ABSOLUTELY, BUT NOTICE I DID NOT SAY TOTAL FLUENCY.

LAST NIGHT, MY SISTER N LAW (WHO IS LIKE A SISTER I NEVER HAD AND MY GOOD FRIEND) ASKED ME WITH GUARDED SKEPTICISM, IF STUTTERING COULD BE CURED? I WAS TALKING NON-STOP TO MY FAMILY THAT I DIDN'T GIVE HER A GREAT ANSWER AND REALIZED THAT MAYBE I HADN'T EDUCATED MY FAMILY THE BEST ON WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE DONE WITH STUTTERING.

I WANT TO THANK MY SISTER N LAW (LORI-WHO SHARES MY NAME) FOR REMINDING ME HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ON STUTTERING AND THERAPY.

HERE GOES MY REVIEW FOR MY FAMILY AND THE WORLD:

1. FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN, APPROX. 20% OF CHILDREN EXPERIENCE PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENTAL DYSFLUENCIES OR SIMPLY PUT "STUTTERING". THERE ARE CERTAIN CRITERIA USED TO DETERMINE WHICH CHILDREN SHOULD START THERAPY. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT 80% OF THESE CHILDREN WILL OUTGROW STUTTERING ON THEIR OWN. HOWEVER, I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH, THERE IS NO DEFINITIVE WAY OF KNOWING WHO WILL OUTGROW STUTTERING ON THEIR OWN. IS IT WORTH THE RISK OF WAITING, NO!!! I AM A PERSON WHO STUTTERS AND MY CHILDHOOD YEARS WERE DIFFICULT. NO MATTER WHAT YOUR PEDIATRICIAN OR SCHOOL DISTRICT TELLS YOU, DO NOT WAIT. FIND A SPEECH PATHOLOGIST WHO DEALS WITH STUTTERING AND ONE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH. THE STUTTERING FOUNDATION OF AMERICA HAS A WONDERFUL REFERRAL LIST AND TERRIFIC RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE WHO STUTTER (WWW.STUTTERINGHELP.ORG)

WHAT HELPS PRESCHOOLERS? MODIFYING THE ENVIRONMENT, LIDCOMBE THERAPY (VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH RESEARCH BACKING IT). IN MANY CASES, PRESCHOOL STUTTERING CAN BE ELIMINATED. SO, WHY WAIT? MY WEBSITE HAS GREAT INFORMATION WWW.ALLISLANDSPEECH.COM

2. CAN SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN BE HELPED? YES. WE HAVE TO DETERMINE SEVERAL FACTORS. USUALLY PAST AGE 6, STUTTERING CAN'T BE ELIMINATED BUT CHILDREN CAN BE TAUGHT CORRECT BREATHING, CONTINUOUS SPEAKING AND WAYS NOT TO BE EMBARRASSED BY STUTTERING. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOT LET SPEAKING FEARS DEVELOP AT THIS AGE.

3. TEENS AND ADULTS-I PREFER INTENSIVE THERAPY AT THIS AGE. I USE A FLUENCY SHAPING APPROACH WITH COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL ASPECTS BUILT IN. I MYSELF HAVE HAD SUCCESS AS I AM MOSTLY FLUENT AND HAVE SUCCESS WITH MANY MANY CLIENTS. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT, OFFER IT AT MY PRACTICE. I HAVE ALSO DONE THIS APPROACH WITH OUT OF STATE AND INTERNATIONAL CLIENTS. (TELETHERAPY). I USE WHAT I TEACH.

ANY QUESTIONS OR IF YOU CAN'T POST, PLEASE E-MAIL ME DIRECTLY AT LORI@ALLISLANDSPEECH.COM

e-mail issues

Having some e-mail issues. You can also e-mail me at LMelnitsky@yahoo.com

My father stuttered and taught me how to fly!!!

Today I had lunch with my dad. It was a nice lunch. My parents spend half the year in Florida now and it is always difficult for me. I miss them alot and have always valued meeting my dad for lunch. I hadn't met him alone in a long time. Today I remembered how much his encouragement helped me deal with my stuttering. I had always heard stories of my dad stuttering severely when he was younger. He always said that his mother took him for speech therapy but the SLPs worked on articulation (difficulties with certain sounds). He says he never had articulation problems and never stuttered in speech therapy. I remember him stuttering every once in a while, but he worked as a pharmacist and I worked with him for years. I rarely heard him stutter. He said when he first started working, he had a difficult time talking to doctors. We rarely talked about stuttering. I remember when I would become fearful of looking for a summer job or talking in school, my father would say to just go for it and not worry about it. Sometimes it worked, other times not as much. He was and is a good role model. He stuttered (and I say that because I haven't heard him stutter in years) and didn't let it stop him. He encouraged me and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. So I say my father taught me how to fly and is one of the reasons I am able to help so many people who stutter!! You are my inspiration and I love you!!