Group Members Stutter their Way to Struggle-Free Speech

“When I first came to the clinic I had a great deal of struggle associated with my
speech , both externally and internally, says Daron Bolat, a Montgomery County
employee and University of Maryland alumnus (B.A., 2000). “When I spoke I would
look away, shut my eyes, restart my words, and avoid speaking altogether. I would
constantly be thinking about my speech. Would I have to talk? Which words might I
have trouble with? I anticipated a great deal of embarrassment, shame and guilt.
Although I am not totally fluent now, most of the struggle I had both externally and
internally is gone. I no longer avoid speaking opportunities, and in fact, I often seek them
out.”

Overcoming the struggle involved in speaking is just one of the many benefits of
group therapy for stuttering at the Speech and Hearing Clinic in the Department of
Hearing and Speech Sciences. Graduate students, under the supervision of Vivian
Sisskin, M.S., CCC-SLP conduct weekly group therapy sessions to help students and
community members who stutter increase speech fluency and reduce negative feelings
and attitudes associated with speaking. Like Bolat, for many who stutter, the most
debilitating symptom is the constant effort to conceal stuttering from their listener. A
pattern of word and situational avoidance impacts functioning in educational, social, and
professional settings. Some people who stutter report ordering foods they can say rather
than foods that they want to eat. Others feign ignorance rather than speak up in class.
Many report turning down opportunities for career advancement due to fear of increased
speaking responsibility.

While the cause of stuttering is still unknown, most experts believe that it
develops in early childhood and evolves from a combination of constitutional and
environmental factors. Approximately 80% of children who stutter recover without any
professional help. However, for many whose stuttering persists into adulthood, daily
communication can be a dreaded and shameful experience. “I used to always worry about
speaking with people, especially in front of groups, says Jean Finstad, a junior majoring
in music. “This semester I am a TA, which is a challenge for me, and I talk out freely in
class.”

The symptoms of stuttering change over time. Young children who stutter often
demonstrate easy, effortless repetitions, often with minimal awareness or concern. Older
children and adolescents begin to develop coping mechanisms to hide the moment of
stuttering. Unfortunately, many of the strategies that helped initially result in maladaptive
habits that increase communicative struggle. Jeff Long, a Certified Public Accountant
and University of Maryland graduate (B.S., 1999) is just beginning the process of
understanding his stuttering pattern and looks to veteran group members for advice and
insight. “Group therapy has provided me an opportunity to identify learned behaviors that
impede my forward moving speech and begin to replace them with less struggled speech.
Fellow group members show me that I am not alone in stuttering, since they are
experiencing many of the same struggles that I do. It helps to alleviate the shame
associated with stuttering.”

Group therapy for stuttering provides treatment based on individualized goals and
group support, both required to overcome a stuttering problem. It is a place where group
members can discuss their fears, share weekly successes, and take risks that lead to
change. “My favorite moment in group is when Vivian first challenges a new group
member to make some sound in order to work out a serious block or disfluency,” states
Steve Birnbaum, a graduate student in the School of Business. “It is wonderful to see the
change that takes place in people sometimes in only a few weeks; people who may have
gone decades using tricks or escape behaviors to get their words out.”
While there is no known cure for stuttering, recovery is a realistic outcome.
Group members work toward comfortable, spontaneous, forward-moving speech. For
many, their most valuable outcome is the new-found freedom to speak when, where, and
to whom they wish, something that typical speakers take for granted.
Currently, there are three different groups running weekly at the Speech and
Hearing Clinic. For additional information call the clinic office at (301) 405-4218.