Why do people stutter when they drink. Causes and treatment of stuttering in adults

Songbirds will help to cope with stuttering in people. Scientists from the USA claim that they have completely deciphered the entire hereditary code of the finch and have identified genes whose activity changes markedly when she sings.

Now they want to compare these parts of bird DNA with human ones and find a new remedy for speech disorders. In the meantime, stuttering is treated by traditional methods. By the way, it is quite effective.

6-year-old Pasha feels great and sees no point in going to the doctor. But his mother has a different opinion. My son recently started to stutter a little. What caused this, my mother does not know. Perhaps the child copies the speech of a peer from kindergarten who stutters badly. Perhaps he himself experienced some stress. One way or another, stuttering must be fought, she decided. Pasha is going to first grade this year, pronunciation problems will prevent him from studying and can make him an object of ridicule.

Anything can be the cause of stuttering. Every case is special. But doctors agree that more often than not, the stress suffered at an age when speech is just being formed is to blame. And it is at this age that the problem needs to be solved. The faster the better. The child is taught to control his breathing, to pronounce words on the exhale. And treatment can be presented in the form of an entertaining computer program or just a game. First, the baby blows soap bubbles, and then he begins to breathe and speak correctly.

Nina Obukhova, speech therapist: "Children stutter at the age of 3-4 years quite often. But after timely medical treatment, after explaining to parents how to behave correctly, especially with stuttering, which is 2-3 weeks old, it disappears without a trace."

Vladimir began to experience speech difficulties when he was very young, but for the time being this did not cause him much discomfort. Over the years, the stuttering has progressed. Now Vladimir is 24 years old and he was forced to go to the hospital in order to regain the ability to speak freely. Many hours of classes with a speech therapist, breathing exercises, vocal exercises - an adult has to spend much more time and energy on fighting stuttering than a child.

Vladimir Zheltov: "I dragged it out, I turned only in adulthood. It often happens in life. We'll have to catch up, correct mistakes."

No matter how difficult it is to correct mistakes, this can be done at any age, doctors are sure. The main thing is to work hard and systematically. Only adults come to classes at the speech pathology clinic. And learn to speak again. By syllables, stretching the vowels, but without hesitation.

The hand that beats the rhythm helps to keep the pace of speech, to speak calmly. Some time will pass and these young people will be able to speak without the help of their hands, resorting to such specific gestures only as a last resort.

Svetlana Bondareva, speech therapist: "The contact of the fingers in a certain way and rhythm adjusts. And they immediately calm down."

Alevtina, a student from St. Petersburg, has been attending these classes for only a month. And he already notices a dramatic change in himself. Along with her smooth speech came self-confidence. For now, she deliberately speaks a little in a singsong voice. But without stuttering, as it was quite recently. She diligently studies and believes that success is not far off.

Alevtina Vaskevich: "I love talking to strangers. Sometimes even on purpose to test my speech, my abilities in this matter. I have become more confident in myself and now I'm not afraid to talk to anyone, I'm not afraid of hesitation, because I know that I can" .

There are many ways to deal with stuttering. From hypnosis and special computer programs to speech therapy massage and pills. Traditional medicine insists on a comprehensive approach to treatment, in which sessions with a psychologist are no less important than with a speech therapist. Stuttering hits a person's self-esteem the most. Giving the patient self-confidence is no less important than teaching him to speak without hesitation.

Alexey Belan, Head of the Department of Pathology of Voice and Speech for Adults, St. Petersburg Research Institute of Ear, Throat, Nose and Speech of the Federal Agency for High-Technological Medical Care: “The more confident a person feels, the calmer he is about stuttering. even those areas of work with stuttering, where they don’t teach you to speak well, they only teach you to behave well, calmly, confidently and stutter with a light heart.”

Guest in the studio - MARINA SOKOLOVA, speech therapist

Presenter: We will talk more about such a flaw in speech as stuttering with a professional speech therapist Marina Sokolova. Marina Borisovna, good afternoon.

Guest: Hello.

Host: Have scientists been able to figure out all the reasons why stuttering occurs?

Guest: There are many reasons. And no specific reason has yet been found out. Stuttering is not inherited, but the predisposition can be inherited. Indeed, there are children whose relatives suffer from this speech defect, and they are at risk.

Host: If a person is at risk, then what should he not do or should something be done in order not to start stuttering?

Guest: But here we must take into account that stuttering is a children's speech defect that appears during the formation of speech. If parents, knowing that there are stutterers in their environment, noticed that the child has some flaws, of course, they need to urgently contact a speech therapist. And do not believe those who believe that if it looks like a breakdown in speech, that this stuttering will go away by itself. And as soon as possible to restore speech. There are such ways. And at the very first stage of the occurrence of speech convulsions, stuttering is easily corrected.

Moderator: What are the tricks? How to eliminate stuttering?

Guest: The simplest trick is to start talking to the child very slowly, just in syllables. This is the simplest trick. And, in general, it happens that this is enough for speech to return to normal again. If this does not work, then we offer a whole program.

Host: And at what age do children have the highest risk of stuttering?

Guest: It has always been considered that this is the age from 3 to 4. But this period can fluctuate. And now stuttering has become younger, and a lot of kids who are barely 2 years old are already starting to stutter.

Host: Can adults stutter? It never happened and suddenly, out of nowhere, it came up.

Guest: Yes. This is the fate of, apparently, anxious suspicious people. This is one situation. Then speed up the pace of speech. If I do not speak at my own pace, then there will be inconsistencies in my speech. If, for example, today I am not ready to talk about topics, this exam situation, which I need to talk about, in this situation I will also not speak fluently.

Host: Can stuttering in a certain sense of the word be contagious? Let's say a brother stutters, and a sister, looking at him, also begins to speak not smoothly.

Guest: Sometimes, if, for example, that older brother who has a stutter has great authority in the eyes of the baby, then this baby can simply imitate him, because he will think that it is beautiful. This may be.

Moderator: Can this problem progress? That is, worse and worse, he will have more and more tense, painful speech.

Guest: Of course. Stuttering is sometimes so severe that, listening to a person, you realize that stuttering simply crosses out his life, simply deprives him of the opportunity to exist normally. And how the life of a person with stuttering will turn out depends on many factors. From what his character is, from his environment, from relatives, from teachers. Well, therefore, stuttering must be corrected as quickly as possible.

Moderator: Thank you very much, Marina Borisovna. The most experienced speech therapist Marina Sokolova taught us about stuttering. Here's a good thing for everyone to remember.

Such a speech defect is not directly inherited. But with genes, we may be predisposed to have these problems more easily.

Children 3-4 years of age are at particular risk. At this age, they begin to speak faster and more varied, inevitably stumbling when pronouncing complex words and phrases.

Here parents should show attention and force the children to speak more slowly. And for this, they themselves should not chatter.

If the flaw has become obvious, and besides, there are stutterers in the family, then, obviously, it is time to see a speech therapist.

Not only kids, but also schoolchildren, and even adults can lose the fluency of speech. Fear, hard feelings. There are many reasons.

Stuttering must be eliminated. Otherwise, speech will quickly become a real torture and provoke deep psychological ailments.

Stuttering in adults or children is a speech disorder that manifests itself in the form of repetitive syllables, letters, expressions, abbreviations of the syllable. During a conversation, a person stumbles, stops, gets excited, “swallows” words, the speech tempo breaks. There are several answers to the question "why do people stutter".

Stuttering is a disorder provoked by psychological and physical factors. The medical name for this speech problem is logoneurosis, it is studied by both medical workers and psychologists, grouped into groups.

Biological prerequisites (heredity)

It is noted that if a mother or father suffered from stuttering, then the chance of developing logoneurosis from early childhood in a child increases. It can also be passed down through the generation if the grandparents had mild or complicated stages of the pathology.

Physiology

In most cases, somatic influences:

• functionally affects the brain;
• there were head injuries in the process of being in the womb;
• transferred infectious disease;
• disorder of the autonomic nervous system, etc.

In addition, stuttering is provoked by general physical or nervous exhaustion, weakening of the immune system, defects in the formation of the speech apparatus, insufficient development of motor skills, etc.

Social influence

The social factor influencing a person worries and changes the general internal and external state. Children suffer from disorders in the functioning of the speech apparatus due to communication problems:

• quarrels and misunderstandings in the family;
• any aspects in education are not given;
• do not get along with their peers.

Psychology

Children and adults are susceptible to psychological factors that affect communication with others in the future. Logoneurosis can develop due to:

• psychological trauma;
• acute emotional experiences (they can be both positive and negative);
• strong fright;
• psychological overwork;
• information exhaustion;
• stressful situations, etc.

These factors depend on the person, not all life circumstances can lead to violations and problems. If you correctly prioritize, cope with psychological barriers, then speech disorders will certainly be avoided.

Those who are prone to stuttering are most often withdrawn, which makes it difficult for them to correct and restore correct speech skills. Logoneurosis, which has arisen due to psychological prerequisites, is treated faster and easier.

First, the prerequisites for the onset of the problem are considered, and then a complex treatment method is already prescribed. Logoneurosis should not only be eliminated physiologically, the psychological causes of stuttering should be eradicated so that in the future they would not again contribute to the development of pathology.

Statistics

Logoneurosis is considered a problem that occurs more often in childhood than in adulthood. According to statistics, worldwide, about one to three percent of children suffer from stuttering. These statistics vary depending on the area, age indicators and the temperament of the nationality.

Boys are four times more likely to develop stuttering than girls. Many do not know what logoneurosis is and whether they have it, since the pathology can manifest itself in a mild form.

It has been proven that stuttering in adults, which they suffer from since childhood, is much more common in people who grew up in orphanages and boarding schools. Obviously, early separation from parents and an unfavorable social climate affect the further psychological state and development of a person.

Also, people living in villages and towns are less prone to speech defects than those living in a metropolis. It is associated with a calm environment. Adults suffering from stuttering account for only 1% of the population, which indicates the successful treatment of this pathology.

Siblings adopt this disorder in 18% of cases. Moreover, in dizygotic twins, stuttering occurs in 32%, and in monozygotic twins - in 77%.

Phases of development of pathology

I phase

Stuttering with small episodes, reduction of the period of smooth speech regularity. It is characterized by such symptoms:

1. Difficulty in pronunciation at the beginning of a word and in sentence construction.
2. Stumbling in speech occurs in the pronunciation of short parts of speech, conjunctions and particles.
3. Stuttering occurs as a result of "Communicative pressure" (excitement, a person in a hurry to say something, etc.).
4. There is no speech phobia.

II phase

1. A chronic form of pathology appears.
2. Pronunciation is difficult with fast speech and complex word combinations.
3. Awareness of a speech defect, but this does not yet interfere with normal communication.

III phase

1. Explicit convulsive syndrome. But the person does not yet perceive this as a problem.
2. Some sounds, syllables cannot be pronounced.
3. Speech inhibition, as attempts begin to replace some words with others, less problematic.

IV phase

1. Stuttering develops into a big personality problem. A person understands that he has serious speech disorders and avoids contacts, difficult situations where communication is required. If in the earlier stages words and expressions sometimes changed, now it happens all the time.
2. Anticipation - a person waits for his speech errors.
3. Chronic problem in pronunciation of words. Development of fear of communication.

Types of stuttering

The division concerns convulsive forms, clinical manifestations and the course of pathology.

The convulsive form of stuttering in adults and children has the following divisions:

• The clonic form is a short-term convulsion, followed by a second one, which leads to involuntary repetition of phrases and letters.
• Tonic form - long or short-term muscle contraction. As a result, a person does not pronounce one word for a long time.
• Mixed stuttering in the form of a parallel clonic and tonic form.

In addition, in addition to the functionality of the speech apparatus, facial expressions suffer: it can be accompanied by convulsions of the facial muscles and parts of the limbs.

The course of stuttering

1. Long-term - when the defect manifests itself on an ongoing basis in all words and in any situation.
2. Intermittent - some psychological situations provoke stuttering (excitement, joy).
3. Relapse - after treatment, the problem reappears after a while. It does not matter whether a person is cured completely or partially.

Clinical form of stuttering

Logoneurosis manifests itself in two clinical forms: neurotic and neurosis-like. Each of them has its own cause with a developing mechanism.

neurotic stuttering

Stuttering in adults and children was not provoked by birth or postpartum trauma. These are not physical disorders in the cerebral cortex. This form of violation includes the psychological and social factors described above. With this type of pathology, the patient is easier to cure than with a neurosis-like form. Deals with the problem mainly psychologist. Adults are more often affected by the chronic form of this pathology.

Characteristics of a person with neurotic stuttering:

• A person with a stutter can be seen right away: he is silent, shy and agitated, thinks up worries, is often offended, irritated, he is withdrawn, his far-fetched fears interfere with life. These are melancholy.
• There are no physical abnormalities in the development of such a patient.

neurosis-like form

It manifests itself unexpectedly, most often in the history of the disease there are birth problems. For example, the mother suffered a difficult pregnancy: complications, birth trauma. As a result of disruption of the brain and central nervous system, treatment takes longer, and a 100% guarantee of recovery is not always given.

Often each of the departments of the speech apparatus is subject to severe forms of seizures. When talking, people can accompany their speech with a sharp nod of the head, twitching of the hands, contraction of the facial muscles. All this happens involuntarily.

A person gets tired after a long communication, therefore such people are more silent. In addition to exhaustion, the patient complains of poor memory, orientation in space and time.

You need to deal with a specialist in a complex way, taking special preparations. The lengthy recovery process can take several years.

How does stuttering develop?

This process has not been finally studied, at the moment there is a version. Depending on the prerequisites for dysfunction of the speech apparatus, Broca's center (the vocal center responsible for the work of the muscles and ligaments involved in speech) is affected. As a result of overexcitation of Broca's center, the speed of its work increases. The functioning of the so-called speech circle (Brock's center, Wernicke's area and the associative center) is disrupted.

This causes a convulsive effect (tongue, lips, soft palate and others). A person develops stuttering due to impaired coordinated functions of the speech apparatus when reproducing words, syllables and phrases that cause convulsions. The cramp begins in one of the departments of the speech apparatus.

If Broca's center is strongly overexcited, then this is reflected in the areas of the brain that are nearby. As a result, involuntary movements and cramps of the limbs, etc.

It is interesting that nerve impulses in an excited nervous system and consonants (especially deaf) are similar in their frequency. Therefore, stuttering mainly occurs on consonants and is extremely rare on vowels.

Specialists

And adults are similar. Depending on the determination of the cause of the manifestation of a speech defect, the attending physician is appointed. There are several of them, sometimes two or more specialists deal with one patient.

• Neurologist and psychiatrist - prescribe medication to solve the problem of stuttering.
• The psychotherapist prescribes psychotherapy depending on the characteristics of the person: hypnotization, training.
• Psychologist studies psychosomatics and human personality. First, the patient is removed from the psychological barrier. He is taught to be in society and make decisions in stressful situations.

A speech therapist is a specialist who corrects speech in parallel with the assistance of another specialist. It helps to improve speech, use breathing exercises, pronounce letters and sounds.

The goal of his therapy is not to correct mispronunciation, but to help him realize that words can be built into sentences easily, regardless of pathology. The patient reduces his fear of stuttering.

Acupuncturist works to improve blood circulation. The sessions used are responsible for a specific organ, in general, the technique helps with mild stages of stuttering.
Stuttering is quite a rare phenomenon, it can be corrected for a long time. If you start fighting the pathology in time and diagnose the right factor in the development of the problem, then the chances of getting rid of this speech disorder increase dramatically.

The problem of stuttering in adulthood. The main causes of this condition and the main provoking factors. Tips for self-elimination of pathology and methods of modern therapy.

The content of the article:

Stuttering in adults is a disease that is manifested by impaired speech reproduction and is provoked mainly by neurogenic and psychological disorders. At an older age, it occurs mainly in people who never got rid of it in childhood. A person lags behind the desired rhythm, the melody and the correctness of the reproduction of some words are lost. Due to the long course of the disease, it acquires greater stability and develops certain adaptive mechanisms in humans.

The main causes of stuttering in adults

The presence of any type of speech pathology brings an adult a huge number of problems. His quality of life instantly decreases, the individual is deprived of almost all types of adequate communication. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, no one was going to treat this condition at all, and it was considered the usual misfortune of certain people. Today, a huge step has been taken in identifying the true causes of stuttering in adults, which helps to successfully deal with it. But, unfortunately, a single etiological factor has not yet been found. All the most frequently provocative moments are divided into two types.

Organic lesions

The name of this group speaks of its true nature. Basically, its negative representatives are the consequences of various significant damages. These include disorders that can physically affect a person's health. The presence of such a cause always implies the formation of a response therapy around the etiological factor. The course of such a state is always significantly different from other types and requires special attention.

Today, the following types of damage that cause stuttering in adults are distinguished:

• Injuries. Very often, bruises, concussions and concussions of the brain can find their reflection among speech disorders. And a previously absolutely healthy person will subsequently suffer from stuttering. Moreover, it can appear in his life both in early childhood and in more mature years. Such a cause is absolutely uncontrollable and is characterized by completely different types of subsequent manifestations. They can act as an independent problem or be combined with any other human health disorders.
• Cerebral circulation disorders. At an older age and with a tendency to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, a stroke may develop. With this pathology, brain cells temporarily or permanently lose their former functions and cease to be responsible for them. Often it is after such conditions that people cannot restore correct speech and motor skills of the muscles responsible for it. Complicating this situation is the fact that almost all patients are already at an advanced age and in themselves do not lend themselves very well to any type of therapy. Moreover, stuttering is in this case only part of the whole complex of symptoms that occurs after a stroke.
• Tumor processes. This reason is observed much less often than all the others, but requires special attention to itself. The presence of any volumetric formation among the structures of the brain can, without any other specific symptoms, lead to the development of stuttering. Most often, the cause is precisely the spatial growth of the neoplasm, which compresses the pathways and disrupts the innervation of the human articulatory muscles. In more rare cases, damage to the very center of speech may occur, which promises more serious consequences.

Neurological disorders

Violations of the emotional state of a person can most often cause this pathology in adulthood. It is this impact that, even without the presence of any organic lesion, can lead to serious consequences in the form of stuttering. This condition is characterized by the absence of other symptoms, except for the one described.

There are several most common harmful factors in this group that can provoke stuttering in an adult:

1. Stress impact. Almost every day, people are exposed to negative influences of various kinds. Most of them are quite easy to relate to such moments, but there are also very vulnerable individuals. A person who takes such negative emotions to heart may not always be able to deal with them correctly. Often, such exposure leads to an aggravation of a once existing problem with speech reproduction, or may even provoke it.
2. Severe mental trauma. Daily petty problems are not the only troubles of the people of the modern world. After all, life sometimes presents tougher blows and makes you confront a whole storm of your emotions. Most often, this is the loss of loved ones, a horrifying picture of an accident or injury seen from the outside. At such moments, not every person is able to withstand a powerful one-time stress, and often this is reflected in the problems of the speech apparatus.
3. Excessive excitement. Of course, this problem rarely begins to manifest itself in adulthood, more often it simply passes from childhood. People are simply very susceptible to emotions for any reason. They are pursued by such a surge at almost every turn. They cannot calmly survive new acquaintances with people, business meetings and public speaking. Even a conversation with the authorities scares them to the point of impossibility. This excitement triggers a cascade of reactions, due to which a spasm of the articulatory muscles occurs. As a result, normal speech reproduction is no longer possible.

Signs of stuttering in adults

The presence of such a problem in a person should alert even in early childhood. But if it appeared much later, it will already have its own specific features. This pathology in adulthood is different from that in children. A similar moment must be taken into account both during the diagnosis and when choosing the tactics of treating stuttering in adults. It is also worth carefully collecting a history of the disease in order to understand when its first signs appeared.

The first symptoms most often occur immediately after the action of any harmful factor. The only exception is the moment when stuttering simply passed from childhood. In this case, the main manifestations always come in a single form without concomitant pathology. But if such a problem arose in adults, then most often it will always be combined with some other somatic disorders.

Pay special attention to the following signs of stuttering in adults:

• Preservation of inner speech. Very often, when communicating with patients, it can be established that they do not stumble in their thoughts and do not notice problems with speech. That is, trouble arises only when they begin to pronounce far-fetched things. So this pathology can be distinguished from children's stuttering, when the child cannot not only speak out, but also think in the right speech.
• Extra Efforts. A very noticeable sign is the particular nervousness that a person experiences at the time of the conversation. His interlocutor feels and notices some desire to speak out. But it is constantly interrupted. A kind of “pushing out” of phrases and words through force also catches the eye. All this creates a certain discomfort for a person and repels others from him.
• Interruption of speech flow. This trait is not only inherent in sick people, but is often found among the characteristics of someone's conversation. But it still requires special attention and attention. There are certain techniques that are able to count the number of words spoken without delay and difficulty. The whole process is designed for the pronunciation of one hundred words. People who stutter make over 7% pauses during their utterance. This will also be noticeable during a normal conversation.
• Long pauses in conversations. Such stops are also quite acceptable. If, in the process of reproducing speech, a person needs to stop for more than thirty seconds, this indicates that he has some kind of violation. Such pauses can be the same or increase along with the worsening of the course of the disease. Sometimes they are systematic, in other cases they are absolutely not controlled by time.
• muscle tension. Ordinary people during a conversation behave very freely and uninhibitedly. They are not characterized by any restrained movements or the constant need to drink water. If a person suffers from stuttering, then his whole body will literally be stretched like a string. The limbs will begin to tremble and not obey, the tongue and tonsils will tremble, and the voice will become even more distorted or completely disappear.

According to the results of numerous studies, it was determined that the stronger sex is more predisposed to such a reaction of the nervous system than women. It is believed that men react more violently to external influences. Contributes to this low emotionality. The indicators today are as follows: about five sick men for two of the fair sex.

How to get rid of stuttering in adults

This pathology greatly injures the human psyche and affects his health. There are many problems both in personal life and in the process of employment and work performance. Failures in personal life, which almost always accompany all sick people, also deserve special attention. That is why the question of how to cure stuttering in an adult is of great interest to many.

Such a violation is absolutely impossible to treat without the independent work of the patient. The effectiveness and success of the therapy completely depends on his attitude to the problem. Stuttering simply needs to be considered a serious pathology. Therefore, the approach to its treatment should be reasonable and comprehensive.

The actions of the person himself should include the following points:

• Awareness of the problem. For some reason, many people find it very difficult to admit their imperfection, so they are in no hurry to turn to someone for help. But this point must be done first. Do not think that stuttering is a problem that cannot be treated. It is necessary to persistently believe in your own strength and confidently go to recovery.
• self-study. Such procedures today are called auto-training. Their essence is that the person himself spent some time correcting speech. Special programs are created in order to control the conversation. People only need to choose the right time, tune in to learning and do it. The technique has a very good positive effect, but it is used independently only at the initial stages of the disease.
• Breathing exercises. This set of exercises was developed by the famous doctor - Alexandra Nikolaevna Strelnikova. Classes are aimed at eliminating the initial violation - spasm of the speech apparatus. By performing some simple breathing exercises, this pathological effect can be completely leveled. The procedure itself does not take a lot of time and does not require anything other than the diligence and diligence of the person himself.

All independent types of treatment should be prescribed by a qualified specialist. Their use should also take place under the clear periodic supervision of a doctor.

Psychological help for stuttering in an adult

To date, this type of therapy is the most common and well-known. Due to its non-invasiveness and ease of implementation, many doctors tend to just such an effect on the patient. At the same time, patients remain satisfied with the care received. A wide variety of all methods allows not only to carry out their individual selection for each person, but also to combine several different combinations for a particular case.

The most famous today are the following types of influence:

1. Rational. It is used at the very beginning, after the person directly seeks help. It is designed to help him adapt to the existing problem and learn how to properly and calmly respond to medical assistance. To do this, the doctor uses the usual sessions of mental therapy with reasoning about the current situation and advice on how to solve it.
2. suggestive. This technique involves the use of hypnosis as the main tool for helping the patient. In order to determine the root cause, the doctor puts the patient into a light trance and talks to him at this time. While talking, he calculates many points that cannot be corrected in an adequate consciousness. Also during this period, various exercises, speech therapy speech turns are used. The effectiveness of the method is very high, but it requires the choice of a good specialist.

Speech therapy exercises against stuttering in an adult

Speech therapists, like no one else, can objectively assess the state of a person's speech apparatus, as well as develop a scheme of assistance for him. This option is more often resorted to in childhood, but it is also mandatory for use at any period of life. Its versatility allows the exercises to be applied to a wide variety of cases and patients.

This process is lengthy and requires successive passage of the following stages:

• Formation of a new speech motor skill. On an individual basis, with each patient, it is necessary to fix the correct pronunciation of each word and letter. A person must learn to slowly and clearly pronounce them all on their own. At this stage, it is necessary to correctly establish the sonority and timbre of the voice, pay attention to the movements of the articulatory muscles and master them. Only after reaching this level, you can proceed to the next.
• Consolidation of mastered material. It depends entirely on the diligence and efforts of the person himself. If he trains carefully and follows all the recommendations, then recovery will be significantly accelerated. At the second stage, they try to apply the established speech during reading and conversation. A person is offered to independently express any thoughts so as not to stumble. Each stage has its own duration and may vary according to the situation.
• Automation of correct speech. This stage is the final stage in solving this problem. But it should not be neglected either. To achieve a full recovery, doctors suggest people use their acquired skills in everyday life. Initially, they form various situations that make a person speak correctly, quickly and clearly. Applying skills in practice takes patients to a whole new level of speaking.

How to get rid of stuttering in an adult - look at the video:

How to treat stuttering in adults is asked by many people who are familiar with this problem, which becomes a big disappointment and has many consequences. In order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to pay attention to the presence of speech disorders in a timely manner. And qualified assistance will allow you to quickly recover and completely get rid of stuttering at any age.

For many adults, speech difficulty begins in childhood and does not leave them after episodic treatment. People often resign themselves to their situation and consider it hopeless. This opinion is absolutely untenable, why - this article will help to understand.

History and description of the disease

Difficulty in speech in the form of stuttering has been described since ancient times.

Until the end of the 19th century, attempts to study the nature of stuttering were isolated, there were no methods for its treatment.

This was due to two reasons:

• stuttering has always remained a rare phenomenon, not dangerous to others;
• even more rare were cases of getting rid of stuttering illness as a result of medical manipulations.

The suffering person was left alone with his problem; when communicating, he caused annoyance and sympathy at the same time. With a dismissive attitude towards people who pronounce words with repeated hesitations, one can meet even now.

Therefore, stutterers try to speak less, especially in the presence of strangers, limit contacts, and deliberately narrow their social circle. In the 20th century, medical science fully recognized the need and relevance of specialized assistance to stutterers.

Medicine considers stuttering to be a disease that has a speech manifestation and neuropsychiatric origin.

Modern methods for correcting stuttering in adult patients take into account their individual characteristics, include a detailed examination of the body and have positive dynamics as a result of the treatment undertaken.

External symptoms, features of the manifestation and diagnosis of stuttering

Speech therapists are well aware that in order to effectively help patients with difficulties in speech communication, the participation of many specialists is required - neurologists and psychologists, first of all.

What symptoms are considered the main ones for the diagnosis of stuttering?

The diagnosis is made to an adult patient in cases of a pronounced deviation of speech from the normal rhythm and articulation.

Difficulties are aggravated by involuntary grimaces and repetitive movements of the muscles of the face - tics.

There are two types of violations in the pronunciation of words, due to the type of spasms of the respiratory, articulatory and vocal muscles:

• tonic - with stretching of vowels and sonorous sounds, with unnatural pauses between words, with a break in the pronunciation of sounds within a syllable,
• clonic - with repeated repetition of the same consonants, syllables or short words.

There is a mixed, tonic-clonic form, combining the listed symptoms. With all forms of stuttering, an intermittent, spastic nature of speech is expressed.

Sounds are blocked in the throat, and it seems that the person is making significant efforts to "push" them out.

Choppy speech can also be a feature of pronunciation in people without stuttering. The doctor pays attention to the comparative frequency and duration of the interruption of the smooth flow of the speech flow:

• There is a technique for counting the number of breaks per 100 words. Normally, this figure is 7%. Then the slowing of speech is not defined as unnatural. A person who stutters is interrupted in 10% of a hundred or more words.
• The duration of breaks in pronunciation in the "problem" patient is clearly expressed, ranging from one to 30 seconds and is accompanied by noticeable muscle tension.

Stuttering, which arose in adulthood, is a feature of the external speech of the patient. Studies have established that a person's inner speech remains absolutely free, even in cases of maximum manifestations of the defect.

This fact is considered an important argument in favor of the possibility of curing adult patients from stuttering.

Men are more prone to speech defects than women. Medical statistics show that for every five men who stutter, there are only two women. The structural features of the female brain represent a natural defense against a speech disease.

Causes of stuttering in adults

It is customary to distinguish between neurotic stuttering (logoneurosis) and organic, or neurosis-like.

In a conversation with the patient, the doctor finds out whether the symptoms are permanent or whether their manifestation depends on the circumstances of the speech act. The patient is assigned a study of the brain in the form of an electroencephalogram.

If an encephalographic examination reveals the presence of abnormalities in the functioning of the brain structures responsible for speech functions, then stuttering is classified as organic.

It is characterized by constant symptoms that occur even in a calm and familiar environment for the patient:

• In adult patients, organic stuttering occurs as a complication after suffering other diseases with damage to the motor sphere.
• in the brain can mechanically impede the passage of nerve impulses and be the cause of speech disorders.

Logoneuroses in adults are caused by stressful situations and deep nervous shocks. In these cases, stuttering is not fixed physiologically and largely depends on the level of emotional stress of the person.

Neurotic stuttering is aggravated by the need to speak in an unusual environment or in front of several people. There are cases of temporary stuttering that appears immediately after a strong fright, affect, anger and disappears after some time, along with a decrease in the tension of the situation. To effectively help a person, a hot drink or a small dose of alcohol is enough.

Timely qualified assistance with stress logoneurosis is especially important. Otherwise, a pathological stereotype is formed, stuttering becomes chronic, convulsive syndromes and twitches join external speech problems. Psychological discomfort grows, communication with other people becomes tiring to the point of exhaustion.

The most numerous is the group of people suffering from stuttering from an early age. The primary causes of disorders may be organic or neurotic, but the main feature of this group of patients is that the disease has an ingrained, stable character.

The picture is complicated by hereditary predisposition and already formed speech habits. Courses of treatment of such patients can last several years.

In the video, the doctor tells what is the true cause and what is the trigger of stuttering:

Methods for the treatment of stuttering in adults

Researchers of stuttering are unanimous in their opinion that in order to successfully overcome the problem, an integrated approach is needed that takes into account the biological, psychological and social aspects of the phenomenon.

Methods for correcting stuttering in adults include medication, speech therapy and psychotherapy.

Medical method of treatment

This method is focused on the removal of convulsive syndromes and the stabilization of nervous reactions with the help of various drugs:

• Anticonvulsant, antispasmodic drugs for oral administration: magnerot, midokalm, finlepsin. As an additional remedy, milgamma is used - a complex of vitamins of group B.
• Sedatives that reduce nervous tension: glycine, grandaxin, afobazole. A good result is observed when taking complex herbal preparations Novopassit and Dormiplant in the form of tablets or infusions of medicinal herbs - valerian, motherwort, lemon balm.

Speech therapy techniques for the treatment of stuttering in adult patients

Focused on changing stereotypical speech habits.

Stuttering correction methods can be divided into three groups:

• the formation of a new, correct speech technique in a person, including the setting of breathing, voice control, natural articulation;
• mastering the developed skills on complex material - when reading and free story;
• automation of skills in modeling various speech situations, development of emotional stability to possible difficulties when talking with other people.

This scheme is rather conditional, since speech therapy methods are constantly being improved and applied taking into account the individual characteristics of patients, individually or in groups. How to cure stuttering in adults is decided by the attending physician, taking into account all conditions and the general health of the patient.

A well-known method for the treatment of stuttering L. Z. Harutyunyan, aimed not at the correction of individual speech disorders, but at the formation of a completely new motor speech skill.

Psychotherapeutic methods for overcoming stuttering

They include rational and suggestive therapy, in addition, patients are trained in auto-training:

• Rational methods are implemented in the form of doctor's conversations with patients, in order to form an adequate, constructive attitude of the patient to solving his problem.
• The suggestive technique consists in the passage of one or more sessions of hypnosis by the patient. During the suggestion, the doctor pays attention to the emotional sphere of the patient and the state of his breathing, articulation and vocal apparatus.
• Mastering the techniques of auto-training allows stutterers to help themselves on their own. These skills remain with them for life and consolidate the result of treatment.

Therapeutic exercise successfully complements special courses of treatment. Simple exercises not only help to strengthen the speech muscles, but have a beneficial effect on the general condition of the nervous system of people suffering from stuttering.

Breathing exercises Strelnikova, classes in the yoga system under the guidance of an experienced instructor will give the patient a basis on which he will be able to base independent studies in the future.

There is evidence of a positive effect of acupuncture and acupuncture on speech problems.

If a person suffering from stuttering decides to resort to an unconventional method of treatment, then he should choose a specialist with a good reputation, worthy of trust, who has all the necessary documents to conduct such activities.

There are also dubious treatments, such as praying for stuttering. In medical practice, they are rarely used, since it has not been scientifically proven that with their help you can get rid of stuttering.

How long should stuttering be treated and how much does the treatment cost

Promises to get rid of stuttering forever in one session of hypnosis should not mislead a modern person.

Instant healing can be an illusion that quickly disappears at the first stress. The mood for long-term treatment with competent specialists is the best position to overcome a difficult speech problem.

Specific dates will be determined by doctors, depending on the patient's condition. If the treatment includes a basic course in a hospital, then it lasts about 30 days and can be extended on an outpatient basis for another 3-6 months or a year. It is not uncommon for situations when it is advisable to repeat courses annually, for several years.

Positive changes in the condition of patients inspire them and make the treatment desirable and even more fruitful. The question of the price of the procedures is relevant, but various options for taking courses and combinations of procedures allow you to choose the best option.

The patient should remember that getting rid of stuttering with a high degree of guarantee against relapse is the work of highly professional specialists in various fields of medicine.

The average prices for treatment are:

• in the CCR in Moscow - from 60 to 100 thousand rubles,
• in the CCR in Kyiv - 50 thousand rubles,
• in the Hadassah clinic in Israel - 55-60 thousand dollars,
• in the MC "Nadezhda" in Minsk - 45-50 thousand rubles. (RUR),
• at the Center for Healthy Speech in Yekaterinburg - 100 thousand rubles.

To understand what a vegetative crisis is, and because of what it occurs, the link will help.

How to prevent the development of stuttering, and is a complete cure realistic?

Preventive measures that protect against speech disorders include taking care of your own mental health. It is impossible to insure yourself against stress, but it is quite possible to increase the stability of the psyche.

Even single manifestations of uncontrolled speech failures during nervous tension should make a person seek help from a doctor.

Information about reputable clinics that accept patients with stuttering is available on the Internet. With great success, complex systems of rehabilitation of adult patients are used, the authors of which are N. M. Asatiani and N. A. Vlasova, Yu. B. Nekrasova, V. M. Shklovsky.

The systems unite the efforts of doctors of different specializations - a speech therapist, a psychiatrist, a psychotherapist, a neuropathologist.

The results of the work of specialized clinics inspire reasonable hopes for thousands of patients. We can say with confidence: a person suffering from stuttering in adulthood should and can receive effective and efficient medical care.

Doctor Snezhko R.A. talks about how to deal with stuttering and whether a complete cure is possible with the use of modern methods of treatment:

Brain activity is also not disturbed, however, a person’s speech is not coordinated with the speech apparatus.

The second name for stuttering is logoneurosis. From this it follows that stuttering is a neurotic ailment and it occurs as a result of a weakening of the nervous system. This can happen during some kind of infectious disease, mental trauma or other kinds of influences. Often the cause is improper upbringing, conflicts, excessive demands of parents on the child. It happens that stuttering occurs against the background of imitation of one of the adults, whose speech is not distinguished by purity.

Logoneurosis develops mainly at an early age, at the time of speech formation. Stuttering in children can begin between 2 and 5 years old, when babies begin to speak in phrases, but this happens at 6 and 7 years. Puberty is also at risk, as adolescents are overly sensitive and receptive.

Stuttering always comes from childhood. It does not happen that a child begins to stutter by itself - this is always preceded by some unfavorable event.

Medicine distinguishes between two forms of stuttering - neurotic and neurosis-like. The cause of neurotic stuttering is usually some kind of psychological trauma. It can be a sudden fright, the death of a loved one or a beloved pet, scandals in the family, beatings. As stuttering develops, logophobia appears - the fear of speech, which further exacerbates the situation. The child, realizing the imperfection of his speech, tries to speak less, is ashamed of his defect. In parallel with this, vegetative disorders also develop - the child blushes, sweats from tension. If you do not pay attention to the problem, then stuttering will progress and entail other disorders, for example, twitching of the muscles of the face and neck, limbs. Fear of the dark, insomnia, bedwetting may develop.

Neurosis-like stuttering develops against the background of an organic lesion of the central nervous system and occurs gradually, in contrast to neurotic stuttering. Here there is convulsive speech, which is often accompanied by forced movements of the muscles of the face and hands. However, with this form of stuttering, the child does not experience fear of speech, and all manifestations are stable. Neurosis-like stuttering is difficult to treat and depends on the general course of the disease against which it appeared.

Often stuttering is mistakenly called a speech disorder in which a person seems to chant words. Such speech is uneven - sometimes fast and loud, sometimes quiet and slow. This is speech ataxia, which develops with a disease of the cerebellum.

Genuine neurotic stuttering directly depends on the state of the person. In moments of excitement, it intensifies and weakens if a person is calm. Interestingly, stuttering people sing beautifully.

Treatment of stuttering is carried out by speech therapists and psychotherapists, since this disease has a neurotic basis. Since there are no violations of the speech apparatus during stuttering, it can be eliminated with complex treatment. Of course, the sooner work on this disease begins, the better. During the treatment period, it is very important to keep the patient calm. Kindness, consistency and attention will speed up recovery. In medical practice, cases of a significant improvement in speech are known, the patient's living conditions and his environment barely changed.

Stuttering in adults: causes and treatment

Stuttering in adults can be cured

The percentage of the adult population suffering from stuttering is negligible. But such a violation of speech does not go unnoticed by the surrounding people. An adult who speaks with a stutter is forced to focus his attention not on the correct presentation of thoughts, but on the speech itself, bypassing words and expressions that are difficult for him. Often this leads to misunderstanding or complete indifference to what was said on the part of the listening people. A stuttering person begins to communicate less and spend more time alone. But all this is fixable - stuttering in adults is treated. It cannot be said that this happens quickly and easily, but that it is successful is a fact.

Causes of stuttering

Stuttering in an adult can manifest itself in early childhood or, conversely, already in adulthood.

If a speech disorder arose in childhood and no special treatment was carried out, or it did not bring the desired result, stuttering can manifest itself in a person throughout life. Even if the speech disorder was managed at an early age, there is a possibility of a recurrence of stuttering in adulthood.

The causes of stuttering in an adult may be different, but they still have one thing in common - this is a psychological factor. A mental shock, a strong emotional experience, a sudden fright - all this can lead to a speech disorder. Of course, this does not mean that a person will stutter constantly and in any situation. Where there is a need to explain, express one's point of view, or the worst thing for a stuttering person is to speak in public, speech impairment will make itself felt. The more a person tunes in to the correct presentation of thoughts, the more he worries and, as a result, stutters.

Speech disorders in adults are not always associated with psychological causes. Stuttering can be the result of trauma, concussion or infectious diseases. Concussion, injuries received during sports (boxing, wrestling) can cause serious speech impairment.

Treatment of stuttering in adults

For the successful treatment of stuttering, it is very important to coordinate the rhythm of breathing, the work of the vocal apparatus and the muscles involved in the work of the organs that are used to form sounds. The main thing here is to achieve smoothness and leisurely speech. To begin with, it is very useful to learn how to pronounce short sentences without hesitation. Then the length of the phrases gradually increases, approaching the standard. Indispensable in the treatment of stuttering is articulatory gymnastics - special exercises that increase the tone of the muscles of the organs of the speech apparatus and increase the mobility of the speech organs themselves.

Since the onset of stuttering is mainly psychological, in the process of treatment it is necessary to direct more attention to the elimination of feelings of fear, anxiety and self-doubt. It is important to achieve a calm, measured rhythm of speech. To do this, you do not need to immediately try your hand at public speaking. You need to start small: at first a small number of listeners, and then, with tangible success, you can increase the audience. Positive results have been noted in stuttering adults who decide to try their hand at the theatrical field: it can be small skits or even performances in local studios.

Increasingly, hypnosis is being used as a treatment for stuttering. A person is instilled with the idea that he speaks distinctly, clearly and without hesitation, correctly builds his speech and is convincing in his statements.

A person must want to get rid of stuttering himself. It will take a lot of patience, as the treatment of stuttering in adults can take months. You need to understand for yourself that good results may not follow right away, something will not work out, or at a certain stage it will become difficult to overcome your established communication skills. But this is all temporary. The main thing is that stuttering in adults is curable. And perseverance and perseverance will be indispensable assistants in achieving this goal!

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Stuttering in adults

In the International Classification of Diseases, stuttering is defined as a pathology of speech in which sounds, syllables or words are repeated several times or prolonged, along with pauses in speech and indecision of speech. The irregular and dissonant speech of a stuttering person creates discomfort, both personal and interpersonal. The problem is not always amenable to a medical solution, and complexes in a person arise both in childhood and persist for life.

Causes of stuttering in adults

The occurrence of stuttering in adults cannot be called typical. Usually this speech pathology develops between the ages of 2 and 6, because speech skills are acquired at that time. Working with specialists at this age allows you to partially, and sometimes completely overcome the problem. At the same time, relapses of stuttering are very common already in adolescence. From the age of 15 to 17, according to doctors, the aggravation of stuttering is associated with the lability of the nervous system, the occurrence of neuroses.

But what if the person has not stuttered before and the speech impediment develops in adulthood? Medical statistics indicate that among adults the prevalence of the problem is estimated at no more than 1%. But still, it's a lot.

The nature of stuttering is due to the fact that the contraction of the muscles of the speech and respiratory apparatus in a sick person is accompanied by convulsions. By the way, stuttering in adults, however, as in children, has long been considered solely as a manifestation of the disease, and not a banal flaw. Several centuries ago, the psychoneurological origin of this speech feature was established, and today speech therapy, neurological, psychological and psychotherapeutic treatment techniques are used to eliminate it.

The origins of convulsions in the formulation of words can be divided into two classes:

• neurotic (logoneurosis) - can occur both in childhood and in adulthood, for example, due to psychological trauma, sudden shock, severe grief, deep emotional shock; in this case, the pathology of speech is not physiologically determined in any way, and a person may begin to stutter at certain moments, literally in the middle of normal speech; this can be provoked, for example, by the super-importance of the spoken speech;
• organic (neurosis-like) - due to functional abnormalities in the brain; symptoms can appear both constantly and depending on the circumstances; the impetus for the appearance of stuttering of this nature can be injuries, concussions, strokes, tumor processes; stuttering will pass during the treatment of the underlying disease.

The manifestation of stuttering in adults is much less common than the persistence of this defect from childhood or its recurrence. The reason for the development of stuttering in adulthood is a trauma or a deep emotional shock. Such logoneurosis is usually classified as stressful or reactive. What is remarkable is that he requires timely medical care, without which he risks being complicated by facial defects and gaining a foothold in speech practice. Such an interlocutor will experience personal discomfort at every word, and not make the most pleasant impression on the interlocutors.

Persons who stutter since childhood also face the same - a hereditary predisposition or formed habits additionally aggravate the patient's condition.

Stuttering in adults, and even more so in children, should never be taken for granted. The sooner you start working on speech, the easier it will be to normalize it. The defect is successfully eliminated through professional assistance. Often the disease is characterized by a favorable prognosis. At the same time, it is necessary to prepare for long-term cooperation with specialists, possibly from related medical fields.

Stuttering, preserved by adulthood or just emerging, is often supplemented by visually noticeable symptoms:

• nervous tic of the facial muscles,
• involuntary, impulsive shuddering of the limbs.

At any age, the disease has a complex origin. It is too superficial to associate logoneuroses with intense stress or fear. One child may be frightened and not begin to stutter. Another may experience a difficult childhood, but encounter stuttering exclusively in adulthood, and then, at first glance, for no clear reason. The whole point of the triggered mechanism is increased anxiety, the predisposition of the brain to such a defect that occurs only with an indirect push, a reason.

Stuttering can develop at any age, but the hereditary predisposition and lability of the child's psyche significantly increase the prevalence of stuttering among children. Failure in the transmission of nerve impulses occurs due to violations of the relationship of nervous processes in the cerebral cortex, including in the area of ​​speech reproduction. This is precisely the nature of convulsions in various parts of the speech apparatus - in the larynx, pharynx, tongue, lips. Due to such circumstances, some components of the speech apparatus work earlier, others later; the pace and fluency of speech is disturbed.

If the weakness of the nervous system in childhood sometimes turns out to be congenital, then in an adult prone to stuttering, it may be the result of infectious diseases or a sluggish pathology. Including those occurring from a young age. Stuttering in an adult can develop against the background of long-term and even forgotten measles, scarlet fever, meningitis, encephalitis, and also against the background of chronic rheumatism or pneumonia. Children with a weakened nervous system can be born, for example, due to an unfavorable pregnancy. The psychological causes of the weakening of the nervous system in adulthood are less influential. For the simple reason that the psyche has already been formed and it can be shaken by a really strong nervous shock, and not by domestic quarrels or a harsh attitude, as is the case with children's stuttering.

It is noteworthy that this speech pathology is more common among the male part of the population (70%). Scientists attribute this to higher emotional resilience among women. Having studied the dependence of speech functions on the work of the cerebral hemispheres, scientists came to the conclusion that left-handers may be more prone to stuttering.

The inner speech of an adult is always free, in contrast to the formation of speech by children. Stuttering, which has come in mature years, manifests itself only during communication, and people speak “about themselves” without difficulty.

Correction of stuttering in adults

Overcoming stuttering in adults on your own is extremely difficult and usually unsuccessful. It is interesting that at the moment of deep shock, it may be extremely important for the injured person to provide a kind of “ambulance” so that the defect does not have time to gain a foothold. If you see that due to severe stress, a person next to you begins to stutter or vaguely express an idea, then you can immediately get him out of this state with a banal treat of hot tea or strong alcohol. However, the precedent that has occurred should be the reason for the subsequent appeal to a competent specialist.

The specialist analyzes the history of disorders - congenital or acquired, studies the results of laboratory tests. This is a reliable basis for the development of methods for individual correction of the disease.

The secret of successful treatment of stuttering in adults is an individual approach and comprehensive treatment. They choose a variety of treatment tactics - from hypnosis to massage, they are combined with each other. To work out not only speech defects, but also muscle tension, stiffness and angularity of movements, frequent convulsions, and sometimes headaches, the help of a neuropathologist and a reflexologist is useful.

Of course, their participation, as well as work with a vibrotologist, is relevant in the recovery period after an injury, concussion or stroke, if stuttering in adults occurs as a result of these. With injury, illness, and sometimes stress, the muscles tend to contract, in which state they remain. If a person constantly experiences the same feelings, tension accumulates, and so-called myofascial formations appear in certain places. These are compacted and spasmodic areas of muscle tissue that interfere with the transmission of a nerve impulse. At the initial stage of treating stuttering in adults, it is important to identify such areas and relieve tension from them. For this, both medicines and myotherapy, that is, muscle treatment, can be used.

If stuttering in adults, which happens infrequently, is of a psychological nature, then you should contact a psychologist. With it, you can work out mental clamps, fears, and other traumatic circumstances. For example, if an adult begins to stutter during a public speech or an important speech.

A speech therapist can also work with speech, although his methods are more often used in relation to patients of childhood and adolescence. Articulatory gymnastics, speech therapy massage, breathing exercises, “silence mode” and other techniques can come to the rescue.

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Stuttering. Causes, types, treatment of pathology.

The site provides background information. Adequate diagnosis and treatment of the disease is possible under the supervision of a conscientious physician.

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Celebrities who stutter

Anatomy and physiology of speech

Central department

• The frontal gyrus of the cerebral cortex is responsible for the work of the muscles and ligaments involved in the formation of oral speech (sounds, syllables, words) - Broca's center (motor center). During the first year of a child's life, it gradually activates.
• The temporal gyrus is responsible for the perception of one's own speech and the speech of others - Wernicke's auditory center.
• The parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex provides speech understanding.
• The occipital lobe of the cerebral cortex (visual area) is responsible for the assimilation of written language.
• The subcortical nodes (the nuclei of gray matter located under the hemispheres of the brain) are responsible for the rhythm and expressiveness of speech.
• Conducting pathways (groups of nerve fibers) connect different parts of the brain and spinal cord.
• The cranial nerves depart from the brain stem (located at the inner base of the skull) and innervate the muscles of the speech apparatus, neck, heart, and respiratory organs.

Peripheral department

• The respiratory section (serves to supply air) includes the trachea, chest, along with the bronchi and lungs. Speech is formed during exhalation, so it becomes longer than inhalation in the ratio of 1:20 or 1:30.

Mechanism of speech formation

In the motor part of the speech of the brain (Broca's center), an impulse (signal) arises, which goes through the cranial nerves to the peripheral parts of speech (respiratory, vocal, articulatory).

The mechanism of development of stuttering

New theory in the development of stuttering

Professor Gerald Maguire from the University of California conducted research and found that people with stuttering have elevated levels of dopamine (a mediator that controls the brain). And if this theory is confirmed, then perhaps soon there will be drugs that lower dopamine levels. That is, he drank a pill - and you can go on stage to orate.

Reasons for the development of stuttering

Stuttering in children

Risk factors for stuttering in children

They create only the prerequisites for the formation of stuttering.

Reasons for the development of stuttering in children

There are several groups, but the causes can often be combined.

Stuttering in adults

Causes of stuttering in adults

Types of stuttering

Types of stuttering in the form of seizures

• Clonic stuttering - when several short-term convulsions following one after another lead to the involuntary repetition of individual syllables and sounds.
• Tonic stuttering - if the muscles are contracted for a long time and strongly. The result is speech delay.
• The mixed form develops when both types of speech disorders are combined.

In addition, sometimes violent and involuntary movements (convulsions) of the muscles of the face and / or limbs join the spasms of the muscles of the tongue, lips and soft palate.

• Constant - stuttering, having arisen, is constantly present in all situations and in forms of speech.
• Wavy - stuttering does not disappear until the end: it appears, then disappears.
• Recurrent (recurrent) - a speech defect, having disappeared, reappears. Sometimes after fairly long periods of speech without hesitation.

Types of stuttering by clinical forms

Which doctor should I contact?

At what age is it better to start treatment in children?

Treatment for stuttering

Techniques for the treatment of stuttering

They exist in large numbers, but they all have the same task - to make the speech centers work synchronously at the same speed. It is based on the inhibition of Broca's speech center and the excitation of other motor centers.

Elimination of stuttering in preschoolers

• Ensuring speech and personality correction
• Developing a sense of rhythm and tempo of speech
• Improving attention and memory
• Development of fine motor skills of the hands and relaxation of muscle tone
• Development of speech and motor coordination

Silivestrov's technique

II. Training. They move from quiet speech to loud, and from a calm type of activity to emotional. For this, active, creative games are used. Moreover, at this stage, parents also take part in the treatment.

III. Fixing. Smooth speech is fixed in more complex situations: conversation, story, and so on.

Elimination of stuttering in adolescents and adults

II. The ingrained skills and disturbed attitudes of the personality are rebuilt.

III-IV. Speech training is carried out in a living environment in which a stutterer usually resides. Thanks to this, speech activity is brought up in the patient, and the confidence is strengthened in him that he will be able to cope with stuttering in any situation.

• Work is underway to eliminate speech spasms
• Reduced anxiety associated with the act of speaking
• Patient awareness of their condition and confidence in recovery

A feature of the technique is the synchronization of speech with the movements of the fingers of the leading hand. That is, a new psychological state is being formed, in which the patient's speech is associated with calmness, correct intonation and facial expressions, confident posture, and so on. Initially, such speech is slow, but it makes it possible from the first lessons to speak to the patient without convulsive hesitation.

New techniques for the treatment of stuttering

Motivation is the basis of treatment

Patients with logoneurosis are talented, vulnerable and impressionable people. However, they are often inert or lazy. Over the long years of their illness, they adapt, deriving secondary benefits from their condition: they are less likely to be called to the board, not sent to reading competitions, exempted from oral examinations, and so on.

Organize a child’s sleep for at least 8 hours a day (if necessary, daytime sleep), exclude active and computer games in the evening. Limit the time you watch cartoons and try not to watch new episodes while the treatment lasts. Thus, the overstrain of the central departments of speech will decrease.

Children don't stutter when they're alone, so try not to be the first to talk to your child. Talk to your baby calmly, slowly and smoothly, pronouncing all the words. When communicating with your child, try to use questions that have simple and one-syllable answers. If your child is having difficulty saying the phrase on their own, say it together.

Read only well-known books, do not ask the child to retell a fairy tale, what he saw or learn a poem - the right time will come for this a little later. Choose quiet places for walking. It is better to play calm games (for example, assembling a constructor, modeling, drawing) so that the child comments on his actions, since he does not stutter alone with himself.

The diet should be dominated by vegetable and dairy foods. Limit chocolate, sweets, spicy, salty and fried foods.

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Causes and treatment of stuttering in adults

Stuttering is a disease that manifests itself as a violation of speech functions and has a neuropsychiatric origin. Most often, stuttering affects children, in adulthood the disease manifests itself extremely rarely, but more painfully.

Stuttering in adulthood causes difficulties in speaking, patients suffer from a speech defect, cannot pronounce words correctly, stretch, or vice versa, involuntarily shorten syllables. The disease may be accompanied by muscle tics, twitching in the limbs, and breathing difficulties.

For a long time, stuttering did not respond to treatment. Modern medicine has made a huge leap forward, allowing not only to diagnose the disease, but also to treat it very successfully.

With the joint efforts of speech therapists, neurologists, psychologists and psychotherapists, it is possible to achieve positive results even in the treatment of stuttering in elderly patients who have difficulty in speaking since childhood.

Recent studies allow us to distinguish two natures of the development of stuttering:

neurotic stuttering

Neurotic stuttering manifests itself as a violation of the normal rhythm of speech, the occurrence of stammering and repetition. This form of disorder is directly related to tonic and tonic-clonic convulsions in the respiratory-vocal and articular muscles.

The nature of the occurrence of the disease has a psychological background, which makes it possible to attribute it to the group of neurotic diseases. In medicine, the term logoneurosis is also found.

Neurotic stuttering is always associated with a stressful situation. Most often, stuttering affects men. The disease can manifest itself once, or become a permanent phenomenon.

In the first case, a person may begin to stutter after a strong fright, in a fit of panic, or anger. In the second case, a person experiences the same sensations, but they have acquired a permanent character.

Since neurotic stuttering is associated with psychology, its causes can be very different. Sometimes a person begins to stutter in childhood, imitating someone from his environment, gets used to such speech and does not notice its defect.

A huge role in determining the causes of stuttering is occupied by heredity associated with violations of the speech apparatus.

neurosis-like stuttering

This type of disorder develops in childhood. Usually, this form of the disease affects children 3-4 years old who have suffered severe physical injuries, or who are born with a pathology of internal organs.

The cause of stuttering can be asphyxia and difficult childbirth. Children show developmental delays, they refuse to walk for a long time, get tired quickly, start talking at 2-3 years old, and cannot remember even the simplest words.

Etiology and pathogenesis of the disorder

Stuttering affects at least 1% of adults on the planet. There is no consensus on the etiology of stuttering. Experts distinguish the following factors that have a direct or indirect effect on the onset of the disease:

• age;
• gender;
• state of the central nervous system;
• individual features of speech development;
• functional asymmetry of the brain;
• mental trauma;
• genetics.

Stuttering is more characteristic of men than women, which is associated with their greater susceptibility to various kinds of stress.

When studying the pathogenesis of the disorder, the following approaches are used:

1. Clinical and physiological. A stuttering person is quite capable of adequately perceiving speech if it comes from the lips of another person, or is broadcast through an audio recording. He may well formulate in his mind the phrase that he wants to pronounce, but he does not succeed in saying it as intended, which is associated with a violation at the level of speaking and the level of speech prosody. The function of speech is not disturbed at the physical level, it is either not fully developed, or the speaking person is under severe stress and therefore unable to speak correctly. Statistical data show that left-handed people stutter most often, but there have been no accurate studies on this issue.
2. Psychological and pedagogical. Proponents of this approach associate the manifestation of the violation with the fear of speaking, which arose at the psychological level. Usually such a fear develops in children experiencing authoritarian pressure from parents, but it can also manifest itself in adults suffering from the oppression of superiors and family troubles.
3. Social. It was found that in the absence of listeners, a stuttering person speaks correctly, there are no obvious speech disorders, which allows us to speak about the social nature of stuttering.
4. Psycholinguistic. The supporters of the psycholinguistic approach take violations of monologue speech as the basis for the study, since a monologue is impossible without a clearly built, coherent and purposeful mental activity. Through many years of experiments, it has been found that stuttering is directly related to the emotions experienced by the speaker when reading. Persons who read an emotionally charged text stuttered more than those who read a completely devoid of emotion text in a dry business style. During repeated reading, stuttering decreased, since the text was already familiar to the person and did not evoke the same emotions as during its initial reading. In addition, it has been proven that a person's high social adaptation has a direct impact on the development of the disorder. The higher it is, the less speech defect is observed.

Provocateurs of deviation

Possible causes of stuttering in adults can be:

• strong fear;
• transferred stress;
• anger that instantly seized a person;
• pathology in development;
• negative attitude of the family, superiors;
• hormonal and endocrine disorders;
• previous traumatic brain injury;
• developmental delays in childhood.

Stuttering can be a hereditary disease that does not manifest itself for a long time. In the presence of a stressful situation, deviation can manifest itself at the most inopportune moment and become a permanent phenomenon in a person’s life.

Development phases

Stuttering in adults is much more difficult to treat than in childhood, so parents raising children under the age of 12 are advised to carefully monitor whether they show signs of this disease.

Progressing, the disease can cause an acute speech defect. Experts distinguish 4 phases of stuttering development:

1. Deviation in speech in preschool children. The manifestation of the disease can be observed with a strong emotional outburst. Usually, stuttering at this age does not lead to serious problems and disappears on its own.
2. Stuttering in children of primary school age. A disease that manifests itself in younger students is considered a pathology that requires immediate treatment. Sometimes stuttering schoolchildren can speak quite coherently, but gradually, being ridiculed by other children, they stop trying to pronounce words correctly and the speech defect intensifies.
3. disorder in adolescents. The disease manifests itself in an enhanced form when communicating with strangers, answering at the blackboard, talking on the phone.
4. Stuttering in adolescence and adulthood. In the event that the disease could not be overcome in childhood and adolescence, it becomes chronic and forces adults to look for a replacement for some words, the pronunciation of which causes difficulty.

Clinical picture

Stuttering is not a disease in the truest sense of the word, since it is usually classified as a manifestation of hidden pathologies of the human body. Violation may be associated with problems such as:

• psychological disorder;
• the presence of a guilt complex in a person;
• feeling of anxiety;
• loneliness;
• fear;
• communication difficulties;
• unwillingness to make important decisions and deal with everyday chores.

The development of stuttering is usually associated with damage to the organs of speech and muscle tissue of the larynx. Spasms and respiratory convulsions resulting from excessive excitement have a significant impact on the manifesting speech defect.

Establishing diagnosis

Diagnosing stuttering in adults is quite simple, since an adult is quite capable of explaining and demonstrating what exactly does not suit him in his own speech.

Diagnosis of the disease is carried out under the guidance of a speech therapist and a neurologist. In the future, the patient may be assigned a consultation with a psychologist and psychotherapist who can determine whether the cause of the disease lies in domestic problems and difficulties in relations with relatives.

At diagnosis, the patient may show secondary symptoms:

• logophobia;
• sweating of the hands;
• redness of the face;
• obsessive hand waving and movements of other parts of the body.

Correct diagnosis allows you to proceed with the immediate treatment of the disease.

Deviation correction

In the correction of stuttering, a special place is occupied by an individual approach and complex treatment. Depending on the causes of stuttering, the doctor may recommend massage courses, hypnosis, and medication. In special cases, reflexology and consultation with a neurologist will be required.

If the violation was caused by an injury, the patient will need to consult a vibrotologist. You can get rid of difficult cases of stuttering by relieving tension in certain parts of the body; in this situation, myotherapy aimed at muscle therapy can be recommended.

A speech therapist can also correct the patient's condition, using methods such as speech therapy massage, articulatory gymnastics and various breathing exercises.

The main goal of correction is to improve speech as much as possible. The difficulties of corrective treatment are associated with the need to simultaneously use the means and methods of neurological, speech therapy, psychological and therapeutic areas.

When you are at home

It is impossible to cure stuttering on your own at home, but if you find yourself or others have signs of a violation, you should drink a sedative, brew and drink some herbal tea to relieve tension. If this does not help, you can take a bath with soothing salts.

Herbal decoctions and fees, which can be purchased at a pharmacy, have a relaxing effect on the body. The most beneficial effect is odorous rue.

One teaspoon of rue is poured into a glass of boiling water and allowed to infuse for 7-10 minutes. The finished drink is taken three times a day, 1 teaspoon.

Stuttering does not imply the development of complications. In general, the prognosis is very favorable. Intensive treatment, taking all the drugs prescribed by the doctor and observing a regimen that is gentle on voice and speech receptors can have a significant impact on speech alignment.

Many adults who consult a doctor in a timely manner quite successfully fight and defeat the disease.

Prevention of violation

Stuttering in adults is often associated with nervous overexcitation and mental disorder. The best preventive measure is the desire to avoid stressful situations, the ability to always and in everything find the good side.

By being in a good mood, not immersing yourself in pressing problems beyond the prescribed measure, and taking care of your own mental health, a person may never encounter such a problem.

It is extremely important to find the harmony of spirit and body, yoga classes, listening to quiet classical music and just relaxing on the couch with your favorite book in your hands can provide invaluable help in this. Not knowing how to relieve mental stress, it is best to consult a doctor and solve the problem under his guidance.

Stuttering in medicine is called a specific violation of speech functions that is not characteristic of a healthy person. There are several forms and types of disorders, the treatment of which largely depends on the discipline of a person, his willingness to undergo a long course of treatment and the ability to take care of himself and his health.

This section was created to take care of those who need a qualified specialist, without disturbing the usual rhythm of their own lives.

Stuttering in adults

Smooth, intelligible speech is natural and familiar to human hearing. Inappropriate pauses, frequent repetitions or stretching of sounds and syllables, other deviations from the normal pace and fluency of conversation are common to adults with stuttering. Speech defects in adulthood are often accompanied by involuntary, impulsive movements of the limbs or facial muscle tics.

Since ancient times, medicine has considered speech difficulties as a manifestation of the disease, and not just a shortcoming. Successful and proven methods of treatment did not exist for a long time, although doctors aspired to this. It was not until the end of the 19th century that the phenomenon of stuttering was sufficiently studied to give grounds for the development of systemic measures to help patients.

The diagnosis that is made to a stuttering person takes into account not only the external manifestation of speech disorders, but also their psychoneurological origin. Speech therapists, neurologists, psychologists and psychotherapists take part in the rehabilitation of patients. Practice confirms that even persistent, long-term stuttering that began at an early age can be corrected.

Causes

During the pronunciation of words in a stuttering person, the muscles of the speech and respiratory apparatus convulsively contract. The root causes of this condition are divided into two classes, depending on the type of pathology. Neurotic stuttering (logoneurosis) or organic (neurosis-like) is diagnosed.

1. Organic pathologies are associated with the presence of functional abnormalities in the brain. Modern encephalography determines such deviations with high accuracy. Manifestations of symptoms are constant and do not depend on the circumstances of the speech act. Injuries, concussions, strokes, tumor processes can provoke the onset of stuttering, the elimination of which is associated with the treatment of the underlying disease.
2. Logoneuroses occur in adults after suffering psychological trauma, sudden shock, severe grief, deep emotional shock. Pathological speech in this case is not due to physiology. Often a person begins to stutter at a certain moment, although before that he spoke normally. Provoking circumstances include the high importance of the conversation or the need to speak in front of an audience.

The most numerous is the group of patients suffering from stuttering since childhood.

Hereditary predisposition and formed habits additionally aggravate the patient's condition. This does not mean that the prognosis of the disease is unfavorable. But the general course of treatment can be long - a year or more.

Establishing the objective causes of stuttering is the responsibility of the doctor. The specialist analyzes the history of disorders - congenital or acquired, examines the results of laboratory tests. On this reliable basis, a method for individual correction of the disease will be developed.

Features of stuttering in adults

Of the ten people who stutter, seven will be men. Women are more stable emotionally, nature itself has protected them from speech problems. Located to the occurrence of a defect and left-handers. These circumstances confirm the involvement of structural features of the brain in violations of speech functions.

If a witness of a stressful situation observes the sudden appearance of stuttering in a shocked person, then the victim of circumstances can be tried to help. There are cases when hot tea or a sip of alcohol restored the normal rate of speech, preventing the formation of stable distortions. Such an "ambulance" does not exclude the need for further treatment of the patient by a neurologist.

The inner speech of an adult is always free. Stuttering, which came in adulthood, manifests itself only during communication. “About themselves” people speak without difficulty, even if the defect has a maximum external embodiment.

This fact speaks in favor of the possibility of curing the disease.

Treatment

Scientific studies clearly show the possibility of overcoming speech disorders with an integrated approach to treatment. All aspects of the disease must be taken into account: social, biological, psychological. Medication courses, sessions with a speech therapist, the participation of a neuropathologist and a psychotherapist in working with a patient are included in correctional systems focused on healing.

Author's methods of stuttering correction

• L. Z. Harutyunyan's method of sustainable speech normalization includes methods for the formation of new speech motor skills, consistent with the harmonious movements of the guiding hand. The method is successfully used in many clinics for adult patients with any severity of stuttering. There is evidence of the return of fluency of speech to patients with congenital organic abnormalities.
• The method of socio-rehabilitation of Yu. B. Nekrasova is successful in cases of logoneuroses and requires the participation of an experienced psychotherapist. Treatment is long-term, carried out in stages, designed for groups of patients. In the process of classes and sessions, patients learn independent methods of stabilizing their breathing and nervous system. These knowledge and skills remain useful throughout life.
• The biofeedback method (BFB) is one of the most modern and involves the use of computer technology. BOS is practiced for individual correction with the participation of a speech therapist. High-tech hardware complexes are available in many foreign and Russian clinics. The equipment includes breathing simulators, recorders of brain activity and muscle contractions. The doctor-instructor conducts the required number of sessions, allowing the patient to master effective methods of self-regulation and self-control.

A sudden onset of stuttering may be the first sign of a stroke. All symptoms and emergency care.

In rare cases, a brain injury can lead to stuttering. Read more about traumatic brain injury here.

What can you do yourself

Treatment of stuttering is impossible without mastering self-help techniques. The patient receives optimal advice from an experienced doctor after examination and treatment.

Relying on exclusively independent work can bring success in cases of mild degrees of logoneuroses.

The methods available for use by the patients themselves include auto-training and breathing exercises by Strelnikova.

Overcoming stuttering largely depends on the person's attitude to achieve the desired goal. The initial assistance of specialists is relevant both in the therapeutic and methodological aspects. Positive dynamics in the state of a person suffering from speech defects can inspire him to achieve ever higher results and lead to a full recovery.

The following is a fragment of the NTV Morning program, which talks about the problem of stuttering:

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