Research Method
The hypothesis for this study is that there will be significant benefits for a person who stutters being involved in a support group. For this study, a descriptive research was conducted, in the form of a questionnaire. Individuals volunteered through online support groups and via email. Conducting the study in this manner avoided potential acts of bias. An email was sent out to two online support groups, two support groups that maintained an active website, and to family and friends that were SLPs, PWS, or know someone who stutters, as shown in Appendix A Figure 1. Of the four support groups, two support groups responded back and ultimately one support group actually participated. Of that online support group six volunteered to participate. Of the email sent out to family and friends five emailed back and were able to participate in the study. The 11 participates were then sent an email containing a letter, as shown in Appendix C, and two attachments. The first attachment was the Informal Consent Form, as show in Appendix D, and the questionnaire, as shown in Appendix B. The participants were instructed that in order to participate in the study, they must send back the consent form signed and dated.
Each individual was able to sign and date the consent form and complete the questionnaire. Upon receiving the questionnaires, the individuals were sent a follow up email, as shown in Appendix A, Figure 2. After the study was completed the researcher gathered the questionnaires, compared them, and then entered the data into the IBM SPSS Statistics 22 Microsoft software. Once all data was entered each questionnaire was shredded for confidential purposes.
This research design would be considered a qualitative research d...
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...s stuttering.
More research needs to be done comparing PWS who are in a support group and those who are not. Also compare those who have never had speech therapy, but are in a support group and those who have never had speech therapy and are not involved in a support group. Although recent studies have shown the benefits of being involved in a support group, but mainly for PWS who has been involved in speech therapy and in support groups mainly as an adult. Research is still needed for the SLP’s role of incorporating support groups among their clients and also being involved in a support group themselves. Individuals that would benefit from this research are PWS, their immediate family members, and speech pathologists. Such research is considerably important because it may lead to a better understanding those who stutter and the affects it may have on their lives.
...sis, which could make all results invalid. With any research projects, limitations will be present. It is important to attempt to eliminate some of these causes in order to complete a thorough, accurate study. In future projects, this study could go about researching the issue in different ways. Perhaps using a larger sample size would be conducive for accurate results. A larger sample size helps reduce and even out any possible errors caused by those who do not answer truthfully. Also, keeping the surveys mainly anonymous would help to receive more truthful and accurate responses from participants. Participants may be fearful of judgments on open interviews or phone interviews, which could affect responses. In order to obtain as accurate results as possible, a future study would need to find ways to survey participants in a confidential way that feels comfortable.
The goal in any therapeutic setting is to assist a client with gaining effective tools to have a healthy, meaningful life, provide emotional support and offer advice. Therapy does involve “…transition and change, which can be anxiety producing for any client” (Williams and Abeles, p 645). In addition to expressing feelings, needs and experiences, communication can and is being expressed through non-verbal queues, whether the individual has the ability to speak or not. Examples of non-verbal queues could include: posture, strong emotions, and rate of breath. These language queues are common to people, however the use of sign language is not universal language. “While it would be ideal to be able to match deaf patients with therapists fluent in their preferred language mode, this is often not feasible in smaller centers” (Porter, 1999, 163). Counselors seek...
Stuttering affects the fluency of speech. Stuttering is characterized by disruptions in speech sound productions, also known as a disfluency. Mostly, stuttering has a significant effect on some daily activities. Though some people have disfluency deficits only in certain situations. Some people limit their participations in different everyday activities because they are often embarrassed or sad about their situation and are concerned about how other's will react to stuttering. In stuttered speech repetitions of words or also of parts of words are included. Prolongations of speech sounds may also occur. It is a characteristic of some people who
Scheidlinger, S. (2004). Group Psychotherapy and Relating Helping Groups Today: an Oveview. American Journal of Psychotherapy , 58 (3), 265-280.
My experience was unique in that I observed 4 sessions with two different facilitators. Both facilitators covered substance abuse as a support group session. One session covered anger management as the topic for support. For the purposes of consistency, this
In the collaborative model, the client does not lose out on the classroom education, as he or she may have with the pull-out model. While this model does require some altering of the general classroom schedule, it can be beneficial for all parties involved (Vicker, 2009). The collaborative model allows for a more in-depth type of therapy that utilizes the abilities of the SLP and teacher to communicate, along with both of their abilities to communicate with the clients or students. Furthermore, collaborative models, and other classroom-based models, allow individuals with speech disabilities to establish normal order in relation to class routine, communication, and socialization (ASHA,
Trends in the use and types of AAC were thoroughly described in terms of gender preferences, communication activities, and communication partners. These trends will be helpful in answering my clinical question because it provides information regarding what kinds of AAC systems a patient with ALS can benefit most from in different situations. Doyle and Phillips (2001) also identified factors such as “severity of speech impairment, functional status, and communication needs in different environments” that can influence what type of AAC system is recommended for the patient to receive the most effective means of communication (p. 167). Knowledge about these patient factors can allow a SLP to find an AAC system that matches the patient’s current needs and functional
Is the survey administered to prevent the collection of identifiable data (e.g. email address), and IP addresses?
...n talking and learn to notice when you stutter. People usually speak very slowly when starting this speech therapy, but usually over time they'll work up to a more natural pattern. Electronic devices are used with things called delayed auditory feedback, a method that requires patients to slow their speech or the speech will sound distorted through a machine. Other methods mimics speech so that it sounds as if the person were talking in unison with someone else. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a psychological counseling that can help those with the speech disorder learn to identify and change ways of thinking that may make stuttering worse. Parental involvement is a key support source of helping a child cope with stuttering. Parents could praise their child for speaking fluently. (mayoclinic.org)
The other 12 participants were normally speaking children (no stutters) randomly selected from the orphanage. Six normally speaking children were put in the positive therapy group and the other six were put in the negative therapy group. During the experiment, the positive therapy group received positive feedback about their speech; they got encouragement and praise for their speech. Stutterers in this group showed signs of improvement and the normal speaking orphanage children in this group were not affected. However, the negative therapy group children were made more self-conscious about their speech, and they were lectured about their stuttering. The normal speaking children in this group showed signs of psychological trauma after the 5 month experiment and they developed lifelong speech problems. The stutterers in this group did not show any
Group therapy can offer the essential support acquired from others within the group who are experiencing similar, if not the same, struggles as his or her peers. When someone is on the other side of the equation, for instance, it can be quite difficult to comprehend the extent to which an individual is willing to go and the manner in which he or she explains the urge to indulge. Therefore, for relatable factors, those within the group could find comfort in knowing that he or she is not alone and make those much needed, healthy connections emerging from the group. Once connections are made and therapeutic relationships are established, which can take some time, the encouraging support with a sense of empathetic understanding should emerge and the seemingly alienation from the world can begin to diminish. It is the positive nourishment deriving from successful group counseling that can offer enrichment to his or her stagnated growth that effectively leads to the blooming expansion of his or her life once again (Van Wormer & Davis, 2013).
(p. 147) The two groups differed, however, in how they achieved their objectives. The verbal therapy group mainly used "communication and expression" while the music therapy group primarily used "music and discussion" (p. 147). Patients participated in five to eight sessions of each respective group, then filled out questionnaires regarding their experience. Results showed that over half of participants in either group ranked it as very helpful, with no significant difference between the two groups. In both groups, patients rated "cohesiveness, instillation of hope, and altruism" among the most useful group factors (p. 153). Therapeutic factors play a critical role in group therapy and help serve the overall effectiveness of the group. Because group therapy is an effective treatment for people with SMI (Burlingame, MacKenzie, & Strauss, 2004), patients can experience improvement throughout their hospitalization by attending groups. Overall improvement is also highly correlated with patient satisfaction (Hansson & Berglund, 1987). Consequently, attending group therapy contributes to patient perception of care and ultimately,
"My most valuable tool is words, the words I can now use only with difficulty. My voice is debilitated - mute, a prisoner of a communication system damaged by a stroke that has robbed me of language," stated A. H. Raskins, one of approximately one million people in the United States who suffer from aphasia (1), a disorder which limits the comprehension and expression of language. It is an acquired impairment due to brain injury in the left cerebral hemisphere. The most common cause of aphasia is a stroke, but other causes are brain tumors, head injury, or other neuralgic illnesses. Of the estimated 400,000 strokes which occur a year, approximately 80,000 of those patients develop some form of aphasia (2). Another important observation is that within the United States, there are twice as many people with aphasia as there are individuals with Parkinson's disease (2). Yet, what is so astounding is the lack of public awareness about aphasia. Aphasia attacks an intricate part of a person's daily life - the simple act of communication and sharing. The disbursement of such a tool deprives an individual of education learned through their life, often leaving the ill fated feeling hopeless and alone. In considering the effects of aphasia, a deeper analysis of the two most common forms of aphasia will be examined: Broca's aphasia and Wernicke's aphasia. While both forms occur usually as a result of a stroke in the left hemisphere of the brain, their particular site of impairment produces different side effects in an individual's comprehension and speech. These regions have been further studied through experimental researches such as positron emission tomography (PET). Moreover, although there is currently no cure for the disorder, there are treatments and certain guidelines to follow when encountering an aphasic.
... of talk therapy, medication, and family support works best in the treatment of ASP patients.
Throughout the modern era stuttering has caused many individuals to reshape the way they act or think. For people affected by stuttering, alterations are real and hard to overcome. Much of the world is based on first impressions; the way one acts and converses is an essential building block in relationships, and it helps one to establish an identity for themselves and others to perceive. With stuttering comes several downturns that affect the mind, body, and the way one is perceived. Researchers have noted many effects of stuttering besides those that are physical, and by understanding the causes of stuttering, researchers may find a cure for these individuals.