Approaches to the Treatment of Stuttering

In the years prior to publication 'cures' for stuttering seemed to appear constantly, but many were of limited value, were poorly evaluated and gave only a temporary alleviation that was not transferred to daily life. More responsible clinicians produced publications expounding one particular approach to therapy but less was available giving a balanced overview which was of practical help to therapists. Originally published in 1983, this book aimed to provide such an overview, with a focus on practical intervention rather than on theory. The need for careful assessment is particularly stressed and also the need for flexibility in the choice of treatment for any one client. Changes in fluency are looked at in relation to the effects they might have on the person's life as a whole and factors involved in the maintenance of this change are discussed. In addition, adjuncts to speech therapy, such as drugs, hypnosis and various forms of masking are evaluated. Issues of the training of therapists are raised and suggestions made as to the nature of the therapeutic relationship when working with people who stutter.

Peggy Dalton

Contributors. Preface. 1. Introduction Peggy Dalton 2. The Assessment of Stuttering and the Evaluation of Treatment Rosemarie Hayhow 3. Intervention Procedures for the Disfluent Child Lena Rustin and Frances Cook 4. Therapy for Adults: An Evaluation of Current Techniques for Establishing Fluency Carolyn Cheasman 5. Psychological Approaches to the Treatment of Stuttering Peggy Dalton 6. Group Therapy with Adults Celia Levy 7. Maintenance of Change: Towards the Integration of Behavioural and Psychological Procedures Peggy Dalton 8. Adjuncts to Speech Therapy Roberta Lees 9. Major Issues for the Therapist Peggy Dalton. Index.