Announcing 'Stammering Research' - Stammering Research - UCL

Stammering Research. Vol. 1.
This is where the problem lies for some people, such as Paul, trying to grapple with control
techniques. The carry over of slow, smooth speech to normal discourse is difficult and people become
dragged back into the old stammering routine by the force of social pressure. However, one hopes that
as we come to understand the mechanism that is at work in fluency and dysfluency more clearly, we
will be in a stronger position to convince those who stammer, that methods controlling emotions and
speech action can work effectively, bringing success if there is faith and fortune in the support available.
These are personal points of view from someone who does not stammer, or at least not more than is
normally acceptable. All of the interview participants mention the problem of controlling and
maintaining speech rhythms. The strength of these views would be a strong reason for relapses when
other life concerns take priority. They are a reason for considering other approaches to fluent speech
such as relaxation techniques.
The therapist factor
The comments of interviewees, supported by the large cohort survey, indicate that the therapist
factor plays a major part in successful outcomes for clients in helping develop optimism and enthusiasm
in clients. If this is the case, is the method of intervention crucial or will any approach work just as
well? This influence is as personal as fingerprints and as indefinable as success. The person who
stammers undergoes the most terrible pain and misery. To get through this they need faith in the
therapist as well as themselves. They may know the therapist is excellent and they are worthy people to
be helped but knowing is not believing. Only faith will get the stammerer through the labours and
discouragements of treatment. This faith is based on the fact that the therapist and client together are
capable of anything and everything that will bring eventual success.
Comments from respondents testify to the unique therapy powers they have experienced at the Apple
House. One respondent suggested that when he stammered it was like a carpet whisked away from
under his feet. After attending the Apple House he found a magic carpet of glorious hue that could take
him safely wherever he wanted to go! This conjures up an image of excitement, pleasure and the sheer
delight of being free to do what one wants. Another likens his stammer to having a huge, black, gaping
hole always in front, threatening to swallow and consume him. After the Apple House course, this
image was replaced by a picture of walking on warm sand, in a gentle breeze as free as the air and as
happy as the birds. Several commented on the fact that the course, for them, was not about fluency but
learning to live happily and successfully. The experience for many was like Paul’s road to Damascus,
a complete turning point in life (Sage, 1998).
The ambience of a course context has to be just right and is so vital, as it sets a tone of courtesy,
respect and importance for those attending. Participants are given the best because they are the best.
This message is evident as soon as you step through the threshold and experience the hospitality and
care that is accorded each individual. Respect for the person is essential, because it is so evident, from
accounts of their experiences, that those who stammer are ridiculed regularly in their lives. The media
reinforces this. When asked to think about stammering one’s mind frequently turns to the image of
‘Arkwright’ in the programme: ‘Open All Hours’, trying to pronounce ‘Granville’. The intention is for
the audience to laugh, but unfortunately stereotypical images are created of those who are dysfluent that
distort the truth. The therapist has a vital role in turning a bad situation around but we need to research
whether professionals feel they have the training and support to sustain the high commitment needed to
ensure successful treatment.
In conclusion, the subject of stammering is a complex interplay of physical, psychological and social
phenomena. The case studies focus on one approach that emphasizes the need to attend to the person
before his/her speech, with cognitive as well as communicative management that crosses disciplines and
demands skills that take time to acquire. Recent brain studies suggest structural abnormalities and
hemispheric interference, which support strategies that cope with fear and teach speech control.
Words from interviews gives a picture of a client that bare numbers cannot reveal, and allow one to
think laterally, although there is the danger of empathizing with people and becoming mirrors of their
experiences. Numbers remain immensely important in establishing the frequency of an event but as we
have seen in political domains are not always examples of truth and certainty. The important thing is
that the authenticity of qualitative data cannot replace validity and reliability and all investigations must
be disciplined and chosen for their purpose.
The following issues provide a final summary of those that arise from the interview data and allow
us to consider basing research and practice on client priorities:
1. Identifying and classifying biological and psychological differences between fluent and dysfluent
speakers, including social interaction firmly on the agenda.
2. Looking at periods of fluency as well as dysfluency in those who stammer to contribute more
insights.
3. Focusing on aspects that should be treated and how, when and where to establish and evaluate
management.
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