Stuttering Can Be Treated, Not Cured

In regard to stuttering / stammering treatment, I'm getting well and truly fed up reading about sites on the internet offering quick fixes for people who stutter. "We can cure your stutter in a few minutes", as well as other outlandish statements including offers claiming to turn a person's stutter into perfect fluency overnight. Other than making outrageous statements and promises, many snake-oil offers tell you virtually nothing of the treatment offered and give no details of what's behind these miraculous cures. From what I have seen and read, many underhanded individuals are claiming cures, while simply only offering downloadable tips and suggestions as to how people should be thinking and speaking.

The fact is, stuttering can't be cured, only managed. Happily, I must announce, many people have managed to turn around their dysfluency to the point where you would not even know that they had stutters. Having been involved in the Australian Speak Easy Association for 20 years, I have met and become friends with many people who stutter. Well over half these individuals are succeeding to control their dysfluencies to the point where their stuttering problem is no longer an issue in their lives. They have managed to improve their fluency outcome, but not by succumbing to one of the many outlandish money-making 'cure-your-stutter-overnight' offers. These people found themselves good science-based therapy treatment. With a good deal of self-motivation, discipline, help and support from many like-minded individuals, these people are currently managing their stutters and achieving excellent levels of fluency.

Any therapy program that doesn't include good cognitive treatment is not targeting the very important issues of prevailing negative causal thoughts and anxiety-driven social phobias that tend to go hand in hand with stuttering. People who are anxious about their stutter should be looking for a treatment program that offers solid science-based therapy coupled with strong emphasis on cognitive guidance and ongoing support systems.

As a recovering stutterer, I can say to you that it is definitely not gloom and doom. People can and do access excellent therapy and support, it is out there! Therapy programs are now available that you can actually undertake in the comfort of your own home. There is a reliable home-based program on the Internet that offers science-based therapy and ongoing support with speech coaches, a speech pathologist and psychologist.

So, join with me, ignore the quackery claiming stuttering cures, and let's follow that road to fluency.

Dave E is one of the directors of Ezy-Speech, a complete in-home stuttering therapy and support program for adolescents and adults. Ezy-Speech has been developed via a successful collaboration between both specialist clinicians and recovering stutterers. For more information, visit the website: www.ezyspeech.com.au. Information about Ezy-Speech can also be found on the Australian Speak Easy Association website.