Adults Stuttering Therapy in New York
WHO
Adults who stutter/stammer or have fluency issues.
ASSESSMENT
A comprehensive evaluation of motor-speech system, physical and emotional aspects of stuttering, and informal screening of language (i.e., word retrieval and sentence structure).
TREATMENT
Exercises and strategies to improve fluent speech and communicative confidence.
Easy Speaking
Reduce Stuttering Program and Fluency for Adults
Communicating with ease and confidence is possible, even if you stutter. When stuttering continues into adulthood, there are often many symptoms that co-occur with speech motor dysfluencies. These include experiencing areas of physical tension, but they also include using compensatory movements or behaviors to stop or move through the dysfluency.
Feelings of fear, anxiety, and/or negative feelings associated with speaking can become quite intertwined with your past, present, and future experiences communicating. Talking may feel very overwhelming, frustrating, physically exhausting, and as though it will never improve, but there is help.
Speech Therapy for Stuttering
The aim of this program is to promote ease, comfort, and confidence when speaking for people who have a history of stuttering. Our customized treatment program begins with an individualized evaluation with one of our expertly trained licensed speech-language pathologists (SLP).
Your SLP will guide you through a series of tests to assess the entire motor-speech system and determine the type and frequency of dysfluencies you experience. Any changes in dysfluencies when reading vs. presenting information vs. telling a story in conversation will be examined. The assessment will begin to identify and explore reactions to dysfluent moments, thoughts and feelings about stuttering and communicating, how you perceive others react to your stuttering, and the impact of your speech on your day-to-day experiences.
This information helps your SLP gather baseline data to set meaningful goals of action with you. A personal plan of action will include personally relevant, tailored exercises to assist you in meeting those goals.
Within a specialized, integrative approach, our treatment addresses the physical aspect of speaking by improving the coordination and efficiency of your motor-speech system through a series of exercises based on theories of motor skill acquisition and neuroplasticity. We also work on the emotional aspects of managing a stutter. Treatment will increase awareness of how the mind and body influence one another in different communication situations. Negative belief and thought patterns associated with speaking to individuals or groups in different communicative contexts and resulting in fear, anxiety, and stress are also addressed.
Speech Therapy Exercises for Stuttering
In speech therapy sessions, we will provide guidance and training to increase fluent speech and ease when communicating. Skills are practiced and mastered within a hierarchical structure. Fluency and strategies are applied in a variety of personalized speaking situations and can include simulated and actual school, social, and professional settings (e.g., ordering to-go; running an errand; speaking over the phone; videoconferencing).
Our exercises are personally tailored to individual needs to optimize your ability to transfer skills mastered in treatment to your day-to-day speaking situations. The approach used by our uniquely trained clinicians will help you gain confidence and meet your goals.
Treating Stuttering and Fluency Disorders at Open Lines®
Contact Open Lines® today by phone at 212-430-6800, by email at [email protected], or through our contact form. If you are ready to take the next steps in making speech feel easier, request an appointment to discuss your goals and review our service options.