The main assumption of the article is the thesis that speech fluency shaping should underlie all methods of combined therapy of children and adolescents who stutter because the fundamental goal of therapy during this period is to permanently improve speech fluency. The subject of discussion is a comparative analysis of ways of developing speech fluency. Despite the complete awareness of the significance of psychological and communication problems of persons who stutter, the problem of various forms of psychotherapy or social therapy is not discussed in the article. Final conclusions were formulated regarding logopedic practice.
The article presents the relationship between stuttering and social phobia, which often accompanies stuttering. The first part presents diagnostic indications of social phobia and stuttering. The second part presents the effects of the treatment of social phobia with psychotropics, mainly antidepressants, which translate into a reduction, and in some cases even into the resolution of stuttering symptoms. This fact does not mean that treatment of people who stutter and suffer from social phobia should be limited to administering drugs. The prospect of discontinuing pharmacological treatment and maintaining the patient’s improved mental and social functioning requires the use of a parallel speech-language therapy aimed at enhancing the fluency of speech.
The article is an attempt to synthesize and organize the most up-to-date data on speech fluency disorders: stuttering and cluttering. The analyzed data come from both scientific research, based on the latest diagnostic techniques (for example: fMRI, PET, audiological research), as well as reflections gathered around the logopedic practice. The factors predisposing, triggering and maintaining the distinguished speech disorders, as well as the methods of determining the goals of therapy of persons with these disorders and ways of its management were taken into account. The conclusions resulting from the meta-analysis of the collected data show significant changes in the theoretical and practical perspective of the perception of stuttering and cluttering.
The article discusses the results of the research team of American researchers from the University of Michigan: Soo-Eun Chang, David C. Zhu, Ai Leen Choo and Mike Anstatt (2013, 2015), which were published in the prestigious journal Brain. Studies were carried out in connection with the exploration of structural and functional differences in the brains of people who stutter, compared with people who speak fluently. The results provide evidence of multiple changes in the connections of the brain as the cause of stuttering. The discussion verified the existing theories of the origin of stuttering in comparison with the presented research and indicated the prospects of further investigations, concerning both theory and practice.
Currently, stuttering studies focused on central nervous system pathology are one of those which develop most dynamically. Stutterers display various disorders within the anatomy of centres which control realization and abnormal lateralization of language functions, as well as functional disorders. Abundant research has proved that stutterers display disturbed functional brain asymmetry. The left hemisphere speech representation in a stutterer’s brain is marked less clearly than in the case of fluent speakers. Speech fluency comes from realizing the motor plan, which is abnormally synchronised in a stutterer’s brain. Similarly, stuttering people display incorrect cooperation between the language program and its motor performance. Dysfunctions are observed not only in the expressive speech areas, but also in the hearing centres, whose proper functioning is vital for normal course of speech. Research has showed the disturbed auditory feedback control of speech among stutterers, which is thought to be caused by anatomical and functional abnormalities within the brain hearing area. Results of studies concerning stutterers’ brain structure and functioning point to numerous abnormalities observed in the whole functional system of speech. Importantly, these functional differences occur among stutterers during actual speech and even when speaking is only visualized in the stutterer’s mind.
Introduction. The reactions of the father and the mother to a child’s speech disfluency arelikely to differ. The question also arises as to what factors form their reactions. Aim. The aim of the study was the comparison of the mothers’ and the fathers’ reactions to a child’s speech impediment, the assessment of emotional intelligence presented by the parents of children who stutter, as well as establishing the relationship between the emotional intelligence of the parents and their reaction to a child’s speech impediment. Material and method. The research involved 30 mothers and 30 fathers of 3-6-year-old stutterers (comprising 22 boys and 8 girls). Results. Reactions of the mothers and fathers to a child’s speech disfluency are similar, whereas the intensity of emotional reactions towards sons was statistically significantly higher (p<0.05) in the mothers than in the fathers. Both the overall level of emotional intelligence and the levels for individual scales were statistically significantly higher in the mothers (p<0.05, p<0.01, p<0.001). A positive relationship of medium strength was found between the capacity for empathy and the cognitive scale as well as between the ability to control their own emotions and the behavioural scale in the mothers. In the fathers researched in this study, a positive relationship of medium strength between the ability to empathize and the emotional scale was observed. Conclusion. The level of emotional intelligence appears to be a factor which shapes parents’ reactions to children’s speech disfluency.
The article examines the question, rarely discussed in literature, of speech dysfluencies in intellectually disabled persons. The description and diagnostic interpretation of the occurrence of the speech dysfluency phenomenon in the intellectually disabled is highly significant from the standpoint of logopedic theory and practice. The present article is a report on the results of tests in a 34-person group, whose goal was first of all to answer the following questions: 1) What is the percentage of persons with pathological speech dysfluencies among intellectually disabled teenagers and adults? 2) Which symptoms of pathological dysfluency occur most often in the intellectually disabled? 3) In the tested subjects, do other accompanying symptoms occur with dysfluency, which enable diagnosing speech disorder entities and programming diverse therapies? The authors also discuss the question of the relationship between sex plus the degree of intellectual disability, and the intensity and type of dysfluencies.
This article discusses the views of researchers on the problem of stuttering of children, forms, its causes and ways to overcome it. The problem of stuttering can be considered one of the most ancient in the history of the development of the doctrine of speech disorders. Until the mid-twentieth century, the mechanism of stuttering was considered based on the theory of I. Pavlov on higher nervous activity of a person, in particular, on the mechanism of neurosis. The most detailed analyses of possible disorder in the deep structures of the brain at stuttering made scientist M. Zeeman. Fear of speech as a strong emotion affects processes in subcortical areas and vegetative centers, which then by reverse action aggravate disorders of cortical processes. Through the fear of speech (stuttering) the normal functioning of the speech areas of the brain is disrupted, and in consequence occurs hyperkinesis and hypertension of the muscles of the vocal apparatus. In conditions of frequent repetition of this pathological process it is assigned as a conditional relationship. With the 70-ies of XX century, there appear a lot of publications, that give evidence of new interpretations of the clinical picture of stuttering. The researcher I. Sikorskyi first noted that stuttering is peculiar to childhood, when the speech development is not yet completed. The modern doctrine of stuttering is an interdisciplinary field in the development of which participate physicians, psychologists, development of the participation of physicians, psychologists, physiologists, teachers (speech therapists), specialists in neurolinguistics. Stuttering is defined as a disorder of tempo, rhythm and smoothness of oral speech, due to a spasmodic condition of the muscles of the vocal apparatus. Correction of stuttering is quite a long and complicated process that requires a comprehensive approach. The establishment of modern integrated approach to the correction of stuttering was preceded by the development of various traditional and modern methods of overcoming this disease. This defect has a stable character and without medico-pedagogical intervention and parental care, as a rule, does not disappear.
The article presents the results of a study on individual psychological traits of the personality of stuttering adolescents in problematic speech situations, the participants' characteristics are given, and self-assessment of stutterers is considered as a factor contributing to the improvement of correctional and pedagogical interventions and successful social adaptation of adolescents.
Basing on a case study, this article presents the theoretical and practical investigations into the use of cognitive behavioural techniques in the logophobia therapy. It discusses the role of psychological therapy in the context of fluency of speech disorders and analyses cognitive behavioural techniques. Moreover, it presents the practical application of cognitive behavioural trends, taking into consideration the implications of speech therapy. The case study is devoted to a man diagnosed with physiological stuttering of a mixed, tonic-clonic type, and deep logophobia. The subject of this article is a therapy plan, its results for the patient, and recommendations it poses for future treatment. The case study reveals the positive influence of psychological therapy on the patient’s progress in the context of fluency of speech and decrease in the fear of speaking.
W etiologii jąkania wskazuje się na nieprawidłowości w zakresie odbioru dźwięków mowy, dlatego też w diagnozie powinna być uwzględniona percepcja słuchowa. W praktyce logopedycznej ważne staje się opracowanie technik badawczych pozwalających wskazać na audiogenne uwarunkowanie jąkania. Istotne jest również określenie sposobów modyfikowania percepcji słuchowej w terapii osób jąkających się, ponieważ oddziaływania na odbiór mowy, w szczególności na autokontrolę słuchową, występują w większości metod. W artykule podjęta zostanie próba wskazania optymalnych strategii w tym zakresie.
EN
In the etiology of stuttering, abnormalities are pointed out in speech sounds perception, which is why diagnosis should take auditory perception into consideration. In logopedic practice it is important to develop research techniques that allow indicating the audiogenic determinants of stuttering. It is also important to define the ways of modifying auditory perception in the treatment of stutterers because impacting on speech perception, particularly on auditory self-control, is found in the majority of methods. The article will seek to show the optimum strategies in this field.
The Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OaSES; yaruss & Quesal, 2006; 2016) is a comprehensive evaluation tool designed to support holistic, evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making for children, teenagers, and adults who stutter. The OASES is based on the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (WHO, 2001) as adapted to stuttering by Yaruss and Quesal (2004; see also Tichenor & Yaruss, 2019). It enables diagnosticians to gather information about the totality of the stuttering experience, including its social, emotional, and cognitive aspects. It also allows a deep exploration of the quality of life of an individual who stutters. This paper presents the study results for the Polish version of the OASES-S (for school-age children, ages 7 to 12). The general purpose of the study was to develop the Polish translation of the OASES-S and then to evaluate the validity and reliability of that translation. The OASES-S-PL was evaluated based on a sample of 55 Polish-speaking school-age children who stutter. The study findings show that OASES-S-PL can be considered a high validity test. Given the limited number of evidence-based and standardized Polish diagnostic tools, the OASES-S-PL has important therapeutic implications for the treatment of stuttering in the population of polish children.
This article regards written autobiographical narratives of people who stutter. The collected material was analysed using both the quantitative and the qualitative method. The aim of the research was to determine whether the issue of stuttering is touched upon in autobiographical narratives of people who stutter. If so, what portion of the narrative is dedicated to the theme of non-fluency of speech. The conducted analyses permitted the verification of the hypotheses posed. It was concluded that the ones including the theme of stuttering were predominant among the narratives collected. Stuttering is present both as a separate thread and as part of other thematic threads. Threads where the issue of non-fluency of speech was taken up most frequently can be distinguished in the analysed narratives.
The author presents the effects of therapy of people taking part in specialist therapeutic holiday for those who stammer, which constitute a coherent system of therapeutic activities performed in accordance with the assumptions of “The Modified Programme of Psychophysiological Therapy of Stammering People” by dr M. Chęciek. The material contains the results of diagnoses (preliminary and final) of the Level of Logophobia and the Frequency level of stammering by adult participants of the holiday XI/XII 2008, VIII 2009, XI/XII 2009.
Badania nad jąkaniem skoncentrowane wokół patologii układu nerwowego są aktualnie jednymi z najbardziej dynamicznie rozwijających się. U ludzi jąkających się stwierdza się różnego rodzaju nieprawidłowości dotyczące anatomii ośrodków odpowiedzialnych za realizację funkcji językowych, zaburzenia funkcjonalne, nieprawidłową lateralizację funkcji językowych oraz zaburzenia połączeń między ośrodkami. Wiele badań dowodzi, że u jąkających się występują zaburzenia funkcjonalnej asymetrii mózgu. Lewopółkulowa reprezentacja mowy nie jest tak wyraźnie zaznaczona jak u osób mówiących płynnie. Płynność mówienia możliwa jest dzięki realizacji planu motorycznego, który u jąkających się jest nieprawidłowo zsynchronizowany. Występuje też wadliwa współpraca pomiędzy programem lingwistycznym a jego motorycznym wykonaniem. Dysfunkcje dotyczą nie tylko obszarów ekspresyjnych mowy, ale także ośrodków słuchowych, których prawidłowe funkcjonowanie jest niezbędne dla prawidłowego przebiegu mowy. Badania dowodzą, że słuchowe sterowanie własną mową za pomocą sprzężenia zwrotnego jest u osób jąkających się zaburzone, a jednej z przyczyn upatruje się w nieprawidłowościach anatomicznych i funkcjonalnych obszaru słuchowego. Wyniki badań dotyczące budowy mózgu i jego funkcjonowania u osób jąkających się wskazują na liczne nieprawidłowości. Dotyczą one całego układu funkcjonalnego mowy. Warto podkreślić, że różnice funkcjonalne pojawiają się w sytuacji, kiedy jąkający się mówią lub nawet wtedy, kiedy wyobrażają sobie, że mówią.
EN
Currently, stuttering studies focused on central nervous system pathology are one of those which develop most dynamically. Stutterers display various disorders within the anatomy of centres which control realization and abnormal lateralization of language functions, as well as functional disorders. Abundant research has proved that stutterers display disturbed functional brain asymmetry. The left hemisphere speech representation in a stutterer’s brain is marked less clearly than in the case of fluent speakers. Speech fluency comes from realizing the motor plan, which is abnormally synchronised in a stutterer’s brain. Similarly, stuttering people display incorrect cooperation between the language program and its motor performance. Dysfunctions are observed not only in the expressive speech areas, but also in the hearing centres, whose proper functioning is vital for normal course of speech. Research has showed the disturbed auditory feedback control of speech among stutterers, which is thought to be caused by anatomical and functional abnormalities within the brain hearing area. Results of studies over stutterers’ brain structure and functioning point to numerous abnormalities observed in the whole functional system of speech. Importantly, these functional differences occur among stutterers during actual speech and even when speaking is only visualized in the stutterer’s mind.
The article presents a comprehensive analysis of relevant publications and current speech therapy techniques and programs in the context of the research problem; describes the main stages of the experimental research, the purpose of which was to develop and test the effectiveness of remedial and developmental techniques, oriented to overcome stuttering in preschool age children. The methodological basis of the study were the fundamental principles of psychology, neuropsychology and speech therapy place of speech in psycho-pedagogical process, about brain organization of speech process, as well as modern scientific views about the structure of the speech defect of children with stuttering. The system of correction of stuttering in preschool children included complex correctional and developmental tools (breathing exercises, articulation exercises, logarithmic, acupressure in combination with traditional speech therapy sessions), designed to relieve tension of the muscles of the vocal apparatus, the formation of skills of correct breathing skills and a smooth and rhythmic speech by imitation. The developed method showed high efficiency in overcoming the designated speech pathology and approximated the functional state of different components of speech norms: leveled speech breathing, steadied the pace and rhythm of speech, there have been shifts in overcoming laryngospasm; however, there were marked positive changes in the mood of children and the growth of motivation of pre-school children for visiting the speech therapy practice – that can recommend the correctional and developing technique for application in practice of individual and group work with stuttering children in preschool and special educational institutions, health care institutions and rehabilitation centers. In addition, theoretical development of the technique can be used to educate speech therapists, preschool educational institutions teachers and parents of stuttering children. Our research does not exhaust the problem solving, a complex negotiation of stuttering in preschool age children. It can be continued in the direction of studying the peculiarities of stuttering correction in primary school age children.
This article presents the results of the author’s research on the associations of auditory lateralisation disorders, mainly auditory attention, with the severity of speech fluency in people who stutter, in a group of 30 people. The problem is referred to in relation to the broader state of research on this issue. The results of the study confirm that among people who stutter there is an over-representation of those with reversed or indeterminate auditory lateralisation, while left-hemispheric speech processing is preserved. There is also a clear correlation of the auditory lateralisation pattern with the severity of disfluency. On average, individuals with left-ear speech control have twice as much disfluency.
PL
Artykuł prezentuje wyniki badań autora nad powiązaniami zaburzeń lateralizacji słuchowej, w tym głównie uwagi słuchowej, z nasileniem niepłynności mówienia w 30-osobowej grupie jąkających się osób. Problem referowany jest w odniesieniu do szerszego stanu badań tych zagadnień. Wyniki badań potwierdzają, że wśród osób jąkających się występuje nadreprezentacja osób z odwróconą lub nieustaloną lateralizacją słuchową, przy jednoczesnym zachowaniu lewopółkulowego przetwarzania mowy. Zaznacza się także wyraźna zależność modelu lateralizacji słuchowej z nasileniem niepłynności. U osób z lewouszną kontrolą wypowiedzi występuje średnio dwukrotnie większa niepłynność.
The authors who are speech therapists in the field of logopaedics dealing discuss the therapy of people who stammer taking into account the social aspect. They present some practical instructions concerning the process of speech therapy so as to answer the questions asked by people who stammer, their parents/legal quardians, teachers and therapists.
Głównym założeniem artykułu jest teza mówiąca, że kształtowanie płynności mówienia powinno być podstawą wszelkich metod kompleksowej terapii jąkających się dzieci i młodzieży, ponieważ podstawowym celem terapii w tym okresie jest uzyskanie stałej poprawy płynności mówienia. Przedmiotem rozważań jest analiza porównawcza sposobów kształtowania płynności mówienia. Mimo całkowitej świadomości wagi problemów psychologicznych i komunikacyjnych osób jąkających się problem różnych form psychoterapii czy terapii społecznej nie jest omawiany w artykule. Wnioski końcowe sformułowane zostały w odniesieniu do praktyki logopedycznej.
EN
The main assumption of the article is the thesis that speech fluency shaping should underlie all methods of combined therapy of children and adolescents who stutter because the fundamental goal of therapy during this period is to permanently improve speech fluency. The subject of discussion is a comparative analysis of ways of developing speech fluency. Despite the complete awareness of the significance of psychological and communication problems of persons who stutter, the problem of various forms of psychotherapy or social therapy is not discussed in the article. Final conclusions were formulated regarding logopedic practice.
The article analyzes the pilot study of the new original Holistic Integrated Children’s Activity Program for stuttering children and their families. It presents the basics and the assumptions of the program and the therapeutic interactions. The article also shows the program’s differences from and similarities to the therapeutic methods applied to children with early childhood stuttering, including the author’s experience in therapy, indicating the novelty of the described program. An analysis of the results of the first test of the program’s effectiveness was conducted, indicating its positive effects in the field of stuttering therapy and support of mental resilience in pre-school children.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.