Something to Talk About

Taking control of teen stuttering problems.

by Lori Melnitsky, MA CCC-SLP

Homework, tests, acne and dating are stressful enough. Imagine on top of that being a teen who stutters and not being able to easily say your name or ask a question in class. It’s no wonder teenagers might choose to not deal with stuttering issues.

What is stuttering? Stuttering is characterized as a disruption in the normal flow of speech. A person who stutters might prolong sounds, repeat whole or parts of words or use filler words, such as um, like, uh. Sometimes a person who stutters opens his or her mouth to say a word and nothing comes out. The person might also display secondary characteristics like eye blinking or kicking a leg to force a word out. Many teens who stutter substitute words, or say as little as possible to avoid talking. Many students often choose to say “I don’t know” in class rather than risk stuttering. Others select an undesired food item at a restaurant because it is easier for them to say than what they really want to eat. When such avoidance tactics are used, it leads to feelings of fear, shame and isolation.

Stuttering is a communication disorder that affects more than 3 million people in the United States. Its exact cause is unknown, but it is thought to be physiological in nature. Stuttering is known to run in families. The good news is that many people have overcome the challenges of stuttering through speech therapy, hard work and persistence. Speech therapy can teach specific fluency tools and ways to improve your ability to communicate effectively. It takes continuous practice with specific drills to learn how to speak without tension. The teen years often produce motivational factors that encourage seeking out improvements in fluency. These include going to college, participating in class, looking for a job and making new friends.

There are several important ways listeners can help a person who stutters communicate with less pressure. Listening to what is being said rather than how it is said is vital. Also, avoid interrupting and saying phrases like “slow down” and “relax and take a deep breath.” Although this advice is given with good intentions, it can actually exacerbate stuttering.
People who stutter want their message to be heard in the same way fluent speakers want to be heard. But several factors can cause people who stutter to experience difficulty using fluency tools. These include not enough practice, feelings of being perceived as sounding different and past negative experiences.

Support and meeting other teens who stutter can significantly help stuttering teens. The Stuttering Foundation of America (www.stutteringhelp.org) and the National Stuttering Association (www.westutter.org) have excellent online resources for teens who stutter and their parents. The National Stuttering Association offers local support groups called TWST (Teens who Stutter) that help teens understand and avoid feelings of isolation.

It is important to realize that even though there is no “cure” for stuttering, help is available through speech therapy, practice groups and support groups. Seeking out a therapist who specializes in stuttering treatment is vital for success. If you have received speech therapy previously and did not feel successful, don’t despair. Many people who eventually improved their fluency felt they were not initially helped. Also, realize there are different approaches to stuttering treatment, and you may not yet have found the one that works best for you. Finding the appropriate speech pathologist is often a difficult and time-consuming task. However, it’s well worth it.

And although the tools you have been taught might appear easy to use, they are often quite difficult to apply in conversational speaking situations. Truthfully, therapy is often stopped too quickly without adequate time allotted for maintenance. It takes a skilled speech pathologist with stuttering expertise to work with you in transferring newly learned skills into everyday speaking situations.

Teenagers often become increasingly motivated to seek out speech therapy due to the realization that effective communication skills are needed to succeed in school, work and social settings. Realistically, it takes determination, motivation, connections with others who stutter and continuous practice to improve fluency. It is vital to seek out a speech pathologist who specializes in stuttering therapy.

Lori Melnitsky is a speech language pathologist who stuttered severely as a child and overcame communication obstacles to help others who stutter. Melnitsky runs and directs her own private practice, All Island Speech Therapy and Rehabilitation, in Plainview, New York, where she specializes in treating children and adults who stutter and exhibit oral motor disorders. Melnitsky is also a certified accent modification trainer and both the co-chapter leader of the National Stuttering Association Adult and Teen (TWST) chapters on Long Island and founder of the LI Stuttering Connection, a practice group for people who stutter. Melnitsky can be contacted at (516)776-0184 or via e-mail at lori@allislandspeech.com. Learn more at www.allislandspeech.com.