Stuttering therapy

Stuttering therapy is any of the various treatment methods that attempt to either reduce stuttering to some degree in an individual or cope with negative impacts of living with a stutter or social stigma.^[1] Stuttering can be seen as a challenge to treat because there is a lack of consensus about therapy, and there is no cure for stuttering.^[2]

Before beginning therapy treatment, an assessment is needed, as diagnosing stuttering requires the a speech professional. In the USA, this is a speech–language pathologist (SLP).^[3] Some of the available treatments focus on repetitive practicing of strategies to suppress or hide stuttering through speed reduction, breathing regulation, and mouth motor contact. Alternatively, some stuttering therapies instead address the anxiety or fear that is may be caused by living with a stutter.^[4] This method of treatment is referred to as a comprehensive approach, in which the main emphasis of treatment is directed toward improving the speaker's attitudes toward communication and minimizing the negative impact stuttering may have on the speaker's life.^[5][6]

When treating stuttering in children, some researchers recommend that an evaluation be conducted every three months in order to determine whether or not the selected treatment option is positively impacting the child. "Follow-up" or "maintenance" sessions may be implemented after completion of formal intervention to notice any changes.^[7]