Friday, June 12, 2009

Summer is here!

For those of you who have been working hard all year in school, we can finally relax a bit--for a while at least. Ah, it feels like years since its been here! This is our opportunity to do a little bit more of what we want, spend time with our friends and families, travel, and do whatever activities make us happy. For stutterers I want to remind you that during this time you can attend more workshops, gatherings, or which ever events come up. This is a better chance to meet new people and explore more paths.

Have a great summer everybody and good luck on all your projects and endeavors!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Reagan on National Stuttering Week

(See my previous post for more information)

NATIONAL STUTTERING AWARENESS WEEK
1988
By the President of the United States

"The uniquely human ability to communicate thoughts through speech allows us to share our ideas almost as quickly as they occur, with little conscious effort. But for the more than three million Americans who stutter, speech is associated with struggle. Rapid-fire repetitions of sounds, prolonged vowels, and verbal blocks disrupt the smooth and easy flow of speech and limit the spontaneous exchange of ideas and feelings. Many stutterers suffer frustration and embarrassment that can lead to harmful emotion stress.

Stuttering has a tendency to be inherited, and it affects four times as many males as females. Children usually outgrow stuttering before reaching adulthood. When the disorder continues or begins in adults, it is considered chronic and very difficult to control.

(Then the proclamation discussed National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders (NINCDS) research into using toxin injections into the larynx muscles which has proven not to be an effective treatment for stuttering)

The NINCDS leads the Federal Government's research effort on stuttering, funding projects around the country in addition to conducting studies in its own laboratories. Research supported by private voluntary health agencies adds to the growing pool of knowledge. These private organizations also provide invaluable counseling and other services to stutterers and their families. Together, Federal and private groups call attention to simple ways the public can help; for example, many stutterers improve their speech when listeners know to be patient and supportive.

To enhance public awareness of stuttering, the Congress, by Public Law 100-263, has designated the period of May 9 though May 15, 1988 as "National Stuttering Awareness Week" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of that event. NOW, THEREFORE, I RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the period of May 9 thought May 15, 1988 as National Stuttering Awareness Week, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe that week with appropriate ceremonies and activities."

Signed Ronald Reagan

Source

National Stuttering Awareness Week

Hello to all the millions of you who stutter of have family members who stutter!
Did you know many recognize the dates of May 11-17 as National Stuttering awareness week? Personally, I am quite aware of my stuttering through out the year, but when I found out about this I thought I should let others know also.

This was an idea by a person named Paul Castellano, with help from Barbara Koval. I'm guessing that in the mid 80's before things like the internet, many people didn't know squat about stuttering or that it was very misunderstood, and for those who did stutter there probably wasn't as much help and I'm sure many felt lonely. So determined people like Paul and Barbara took it upon themselves to start a thing like National Stuttering Awareness Week. Paul had a pretty severe stutter but he was able to muster up enough courage to present himself before several US Congressional subcommittees to raise much needed public awareness on the subject of stuttering. Paul and Barbara worked very hard to make NSAW a reality. Finally, in early April of 1988, Paul and Barb appeared at the US Capitol along with some important people for a ceremony that established NSAW.

Originally, this was to be a one time thing, but other organizations for stuttering have taken a liking to the idea and as it is, National Stuttering Awareness Week is promoted every year on the the second week of May.

So kudos to the efforts of Carl and Barbara and kudos to Ronald Reagan! They have done quite a service in being a major catalyst in spreading the knowledge and increasing efforts to make the problem of stuttering better for all of us. And to the people reading this, Have a nice week all of you! :)

Friday, April 03, 2009

A Teenager's Opinion on Stuttering and the Brain


Recently, many of those to whom I speak with would notice that my stuttering has increased quite a bit. I have so much trouble saying words that start with problem letters such as 'm' and 'w' that I resort to changing the word and saying a synonym such as 'female' instead of 'girl', 'black' instead of 'African-American' or even 'that wonderful continent' instead of 'Europe'! However, all this is when I know I am about to talk to someone, or I am about to have a conversation with an important person or was going to ask the teacher a question. On the other hand, I seemed to have improved my speech significantly when it comes to public speaking and school presentations when I am prepared, and I seem almost cured when I am speaking casually without thinking about my speaking, or when I am angry or energized. But I still stutter when I am about to approach a conversation. During the time I stutter a lot and am in the middle of a big block, it feels like there is a ball in my throat, and when I continue to stutter, it starts to hurt as if I have a minor sore throat. This is something new and strange for me.

So the old question rises again; what causes stuttering? In a couple of my past posts, I have discussed about how stuttering can be caused by a brain disorder, and I have even challenged that point. But now it seems as if the immediate cause, as in why my stuttering increases and decreases from time to time is a combination of brain function, psychology, and neurology. I am not a practitioner in these fields so I am not qualified to give actual serious statements on the cause of stuttering. I am just a high school teenage boy with stuttering and this is my opinion based on what I've read and experienced. So feel free to correct me if you have a better explanation or hypothesis.

I really think stuttering, the original problem is caused by a brain dysfunction on the part that controls speech. Yes, we know what we are going to say and can think like anyone. The problem is that the neurons probably have trouble firing their signals and getting the message to the tongue, vocal cords, lips and mouth. So my tools for vocal speech get all jumbled up and do not function smoothly. The feeling of a minor sore throat is probably caused by the vocal cords working too hard and pressing to much. So neuron-to-muscle malfunction is most probably what causes the actual stuttering.

But what causes the roller coaster of improvements and declines? From my experiences, I say that is very psychological. I have learned a lot from various sources such as Sigmund Freud and more recently, Dr. Daniel Amen. You, the condition of your brain, and your state of mind has a huge effect on your life, your health, your relationships, your behavior, your performance, et cetera. An acquaintance of mine who was studying speech pathology told me about a friend who said he used to stutter. In recent times, that friend rarely stuttered, but after being reminded of how much he used to stutter, his dysfluency came back and was more noticeable. I too have had similar experiences in the past. After a summer of no school, my stuttering improved but after my first day of school therapy, it all came back. I guess it was because I was reminded of my problem and noticed it more from then on.

I have also heard the many cases where people come out of intensive therapy with fluent speech but over time, their stuttering comes back. Well school therapists aren't really specifically specialized in stuttering, but I have also been to separate professional therapists. Doing this has given me many lasting benefits. However, the immediate benefits of fluency can wear out if one does not practice all the time and keep in mind the techniques and advice given. And that presents a problem. Our lives are complicated enough as it is and many are are in a hurry or become too concerned about other things to pay attention and remember those techniques until the stuttering gets really bad. Then another problem arises; if one worries too much about their stuttering then they can end up having more trouble. Many times I am saying something and someone notices that I am very fluent. I realize that they are right even though I have not been thinking about my stuttering at all. When I am too concerned, I get stuck which gets me even more concerned and leads to panic. I think things like stress, and anxiety screws up the already troubled neuron process even more.

So we are presented with a paradox here. We are to remember our techniques and yet not worry about it too much. I think what worsens the neuron process is similar to what worsens other parts of the brain function as well such as performance and self esteem. One needs to avoid drugs, get good sleep, good healthy food, exercise, drink water, manage stress, and all those things that help your brain and enhance your life. I cannot be certain that these will help but just try it out and see what happens! To gain confidence and self esteem I really think staying healthy, getting more involved, learning new things and doing what one does best and seeing the positives of oneself is the best one can do about this.

Lets get more specific about stuttering. I say it really helps if you can get into the habit of saying things and relaxing or really having a feel for what you are saying and not giving a damn about others. This comes with someone who is confident yet relaxed, has enthusiasm for what he or she is saying, and has a good enough opinion of himself/herself. I know that I have many faults, but I also know that I have some good qualities and therefore I have a pretty high opinion on my opinions :). But this is very difficult for many people and once you become concerned about stuttering, it is hard to let it go. The more you try not to be worried, to more worried you become. When it comes to that, then you have to remember the things your therapist taught you. The best thing is to prepare well prior to the speech, presentation, or situation, so you are used to saying what you will be saying and know how to use the techniques. Winston Churchill had to do extra practice before giving his famous speeches so that he got it right when it counted.

Stuttering and may be even its causes are different for different people so see what works out for you. Try Sharing your opinions on what you think is the cause of your stuttering and what helps you the most.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

IPhone and IPod Touch for Speech Therapy


With all this technology entering into our lives, in entertainment and communication, why not take more advantage of this?

Many of us have had speech therapy at some point of our lives, and we are used to sitting in a cool relaxing room alone with a nice Speech Pathologist talking slowly to us and listening patiently to what we have to say. Such a nice and ideal situation is extremely rare in real life, so it is no wonder why almost all of us stutter far less in these sessions than in real life. I think this gives our therapists the wrong perception of our problem. Two of my past therapists used to make me meet new people, talk on the phone, take me out to the community to order drinks, or ask questions, or interview strangers to help with this. But it seems like those at HCRI have made something even better.

Hollins Communications Research Institute(HCRI) at Virginia, a leading Institute on the treatment of stuttering has developed a program that will allow the owner of an Apple IPhone or IPod Touch to use their wonderful little device with and additional small external microphone as a portable tool to greatly enhance speech therapy. Here is how it works:

This device, which you could take almost anywhere you go, records and evaluates your speech during outside situations, such as in a shopping mall, restaurant or business setting, fluency measurements for each utterance are displayed on the iPhone screen. This information is immediately transferred to their Therapy programs where speech practice can be made more efficient and results can be obtained faster. Information like this allows the institute's therapists to provide more detailed and precise training to clients, as they learn to apply new speech capabilities in everyday situations. This will also help people replace their flawed muscle contractions and learn how to reconstruct muscle actions that drive movements of the tongue, lips, jaw, vocal folds, and breathing mechanisms.

"Our clients now have a dynamic, easy-to-use tool that can be used in virtually any setting to evaluate how well they are using newly learned fluency skills," Dr. Webster said. "In addition, the device provides training feedback and performance data that were previously available only with our clinic-based computers."

According to HCRI and some clients, the tests have been highly successful so far. Of course, their website is filled with examples of success stories, but I have heard from some people that it is not worth it. The success can wear away, the data is not always accurate, you have to hold up the IPhone to record, which is very artificial, and background noise can interfere with proper recording. More on this

So there you have it. If you have the money you can decide for yourself if it is worth it and try it out. It doesn't seem like a bad idea at all but I remain doubtful of it's real use and lasting results. By the way, it is also a good show of partership between Apple and HCRI and for them to advertise and promote their companies. I feel like I have seen this before so I remain careful.