1. Meet With a Speech Pathologist
Stuttering, a speech disorder marked by involuntary repetitions of syllables or consonants, can be caused by a variety of factors. To manage your particular speech order, you will need to consult with a speech pathologist to determine the best treatment strategy. This health care professional will conduct a series of oral tests to observe your speech patterns and ask you questions about family history. He will also find out whether your stuttering becomes more pronounced in certain situations. Once the nature of your stuttering is isolated, you can manage your condition more effectively.
2. Attend Speech Therapy
Most cases of stuttering can be managed through speech therapy, which may include behavior modification techniques to control undesirable speech patterns. In many cases, stuttering is caused by hurried speech behaviors, and the therapist may simply work with you to slow the delivery of your words. If the therapist determines that there are underlying psychological factors that cause your stuttering, you may receive a referral to another mental care professional for additional therapy.
3. Work With Others Around You
Your stuttering may become aggravated by others around you. One of the best strategies for managing your stuttering is simply to ask those around you for assistance. For example, you may want to ask others to speak in slower and more relaxed manners, since many stutterers may feel pressure and stress when trying to keep up with the accelerated speech patterns of others. You may also want to ask others not to try to complete your thoughts or sentences for you. Many stutterers become more frustrated when others impatiently guess what they are trying to say.
Avoid those who tease or criticize you for stuttering, even in a playful manner, since this causes stress, which will only aggravate your speech pattern disturbances. The best way to manage stuttering is to be as open as possible about it, and to be with people who are understanding and helpful.
