“If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought”.
George Orwell
The passive and somewhat somber look on his face belied the terror Tommy felt inside. It was his turn to read aloud to the group. (“What if I start reading and …it happens? Once it starts I can’t stop. The kids will laugh at me and the teacher will sigh impatiently. Maybe if I try to not think about it, it won’t happen…”) It had only been a moment since Jamie stopped reading and the teacher and group looked expectantly at Tommy. Yet, it seemed like an eternity. Tommy cleared his already dry throat, and, with resignation, began his passage, “Ralph p-p-put his shhhoes on and w-w-went outside…”
Stuttering begins during the course of language development, usually between the ages of two and seven. Its an impairment in speech fluency created through frequent repetitions or prolongations of sounds that virtually sneaks up on a child. Typically, the disturbance starts gradually. At first, speech disfluencies may go unnoticed only to develop into a chronic problem. The child often starts by repeating consonants, and then progresses to the first word of a phrase; and then to longer words. As the disorder progresses and stuttering becomes more frequent, the child is increasingly more aware that a problem exists; one for which there are often unbearable consequences.
As is the case with most disorders, the first question frequently asked is, “What causes stuttering?” Although scientists have sought a single causative factor of a stutter for centuries, most modern experts agree that many factors are involved. Some psychologists believe stuttering has its roots in a variety of anxieties that develop from interactions with the environment. Investigations of this nature have largely examined the kinds of thought processes that stutterers report. Other researchers have searched for organic causes such as abnormalities of brain structure and/or bio-chemistry. Some have concentrated on genetics. The results of recent research involving family and twin studies suggests that the presence of a family history of either developmental articulation or expressive language disorder, increases the likelihood of these.
Generally, there are many factors that can be hypothesized to cause stuttering. However, sometimes in thinking of causes we get lost in those thoughts and fail to maintain enough distance to provide a new perspective. One need only witness a child stuttering to realize the pernicious effects it has on both academic and social performance. Thinking about “effects” rather than “causes” has been a fundamental principle in many treatment approaches. Often a result of stuttering, the child will develop techniques of avoiding trouble words or phrases, and situations in which stuttering occurs. This is a very common strategy used by phobic individuals to help cope with their environment. One treatment, “systematic desensitization”, involves teaching someone to feel progressively less anxious about the places and situations in which stuttering occurs. A calm feeling is generated and then made to occur in the presence of each anxiety-provoking event to which the person is repeatedly exposed. Though there have been reported successes, this methodic approach is often cumbersome.
In another approach, “operant conditioning”, the principle, “behavior changes as a function of its consequences”, is applied. Clear speech is rewarded and stuttering is punished. Improvement has been reported, however, so have relapses.
What happens to someone just prior to stuttering is the underpinning of a most useful method. Sometimes, we are too thoughtful. The fear associated with a word or event, is repeatedly experienced as a negative internal picture, dialogue or feeling that generates attempts at avoidance. However, negation exists only in language– not experience! Tell yourself not to think about your left earlobe. What are you thinking of? What happens to your breathing if you worry about it not occurring? As a stuttering child experiences this paradox (“Remember, don’t stutter!”) just before speaking it is vital to teach him to have a more positive internal experience first. Sometimes being less thoughtful is better.
, while you were absorbed in thought about your boss,
spouse, children, or who was going to notice your new outfit.

You can increase the frequency of these out-of conscious sensory ex-
periences, as well as your awareness of them. Begin by quickly scan-
ing your environment during the variety of situations you encounter
in a day. But please, don’t try this while driving! Wait about sixty
seconds and try to recall anything about what you had scanned.
After several days, increase the response latency to two minutes following a scan. Then five, ten…one hour.

Now take it a step further, generate a series of useful questions in a
variety of contexts—work, relationships, investments, and so forth.
For example, “How can I enhance my current position?” “What are
some obstacles?” “How do I relate to coworkers and significant people
in my life?” And, “What specific skills can I develop to improve those
relationships?” As opposed to scanning what is less conscious from
your environment as in the above, the idea here is to generate less-
than-obvious experiences from within.