2. Communication Disorders: STUTTERING Rebecca Forbes TLSE 457 Summer 2004

3. What is stuttering? b b Speech impairment characterized by abnormal hesitations repetitions, blocks, and/or prolongations of sounds, words, or syllables avoidance or substitution of words – –example: “closet” stutterers

4. Specific Characteristics b Repetitions b Blocks b Prolongations b Tremors b Pitch & loudness rise b Avoidance of talking b Fear & Embarrassment b Irregular breathing b Related behaviors foot tapping, eye blinks, head turns

5. What causes stuttering? b No known cause, only controversy b Theories Genetic dispositionGenetic disposition Biological explanationBiological explanation Family FactorsFamily Factors Psychological factorsPsychological factors –ex: conditioning

6. Prevalence/Incidence Rates b Most frequent type of fluency disorder b About 1% of the population stutters (2-3 million people) b More boys than girls stutter (4:1 ratio) b Average person: 7-10% of speech is disfluent b >10% disfluency leads to stuttering b 50-70% of people who stutter have at least one relative who also stutters

7. Assessment/Diagnoses b b Speech and language pathologists read out loud pronounce specific words talk (time wpm) hearing tests b b Tests determine whether or not a person needs speech therapy ex: NIU Speech Clinic

8. What can teachers do? Instructional Ideas b b talking slowly & clearly b b answer ?’s after a pause b b stay calm, don’t be bothered (patience!) b b give reassurance & encourage talking about his or her stuttering b b create a plan for class participation b b allow increased response time VIDEO CLIP

9. Technology and Stuttering b Feedback machine monitors speech (Delayed Auditory Feedback) b Classroom PowerPoint Presentations educates peers while decreasing teasingeducates peers while decreasing teasing helps overcome the fear of speakinghelps overcome the fear of speaking

10. Interesting Facts about Stuttering b Stuttering occurs most often in left-handers b No stuttering when singing, speaking in unison, or whispering b Famous people that stutter George BurnsThomas EdisonGeorge BurnsThomas Edison Charles DarwinAlbert EinsteinCharles DarwinAlbert Einstein George WashingtonGeorge Washington Bruce WillisBruce Willis Marilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe

11. References for Stuttering b Resources used in this presentation http://www.stuttering.net/stuttering-facts.htmlhttp://www.stuttering.net/stuttering-facts.htmlhttp://www.stuttering.net/stuttering-facts.html http://www.wiu.edu/users/mfrwq/whatisstut.htmlhttp://www.wiu.edu/users/mfrwq/whatisstut.htmlhttp://www.wiu.edu/users/mfrwq/whatisstut.html http://asha.org/speech/disabilities/stuttering.cfmhttp://asha.org/speech/disabilities/stuttering.cfmhttp://asha.org/speech/disabilities/stuttering.cfm Resources for school personnel Resources for school personnel http://nsastutter.org/content/index.php?catid=8http://nsastutter.org/content/index.php?catid=8http://nsastutter.org/content/index.php?catid=8 Video => Stuttering: Straight Talk for TeachersVideo => Stuttering: Straight Talk for Teachers The Stuttering Foundation, 2002The Stuttering Foundation, 2002 Book => Stuttering and Your Child: ?’s and answersBook => Stuttering and Your Child: ?’s and answers Book => Understanding Stuttering by: Nathan LavidBook => Understanding Stuttering by: Nathan Lavid Book => Tangled Tongue: Living with a StutterBook => Tangled Tongue: Living with a Stutter by: Jock A. Carlisle by: Jock A. Carlisle