Stammering affects around 450,000 adults and 18,000 children in the UK. In its mild forms, stammering, or stuttering, makes communication difficult; in the severer forms it makes it impossible, affecting in social, educational and work life. This book offers simple, jargon-free advice to people who had resigned themselves to a life limited by stammering, with a wealth of practical exercises. As well as information about fluency techniques, it includes methods for dealing with the underlying anxiety that can make or break attempts to overcome stammering. Topics covered include:
- Thoughts and beliefs - questionnaires to help define feelings about stammering
- The mechanics of speech and stuttering - the speech mechanism and vocal cords; how speech sounds are made; psychological effects on speech; habit factors.
- Different types of therapy – eg, fluency shaping techniques, modification therapies
- Emotional and practical requirements for success; characteristics of those who succeed
- Other help - counselling; hypnosis; social skills training; speaking circles
- Anxiety, relaxation and other self-help suggestions
- Techniques for children, teenagers and adults