Will a medical device cure my stutter?
There has been some marketing in recent years of a “miracle cure” for stuttering, often coming in the form of a hearing-aid-like device. These devices make use of delayed auditory feedback, playing the sound of a person’s speech back into their ear at a very slight delay (a small fraction of a second). Often, this will make a person’s speech completely fluent.
However, these devices have three very important downsides:
They are expensive, and their cost is typically paid out-of-pocket by individuals who stutter.
They manage, rather than cure, stuttering. When the device is turned off, the individual’s speech will return to normal.
People may develop a reliance on the device. Behavioural treatments rely on acceptance of stuttering, a set of strategies that can be applied at any time, and increased understanding of stuttering in general. These devices may work, but if at any time they malfunction or break, especially if this was to happen at an important moment, people who stutter may find themselves much less fluent than they would otherwise have been in that situation, because of severe anxiety about entering the situation without the device to rely on.
Samuel L. Jackson is a Black actor who stutters. He reports that he was able to overcome it through acting.
As airflow is the foundation of speech, when the airflow is obstructed due to tension and uncontrolled closing of oral muscles, the sound produced is compromised.
Craig Skistimas, also known as Stuttering Craig, the co-founder of ScrewAttack which is a production company for video games.
The adored pig from Looney Tunes, Porky Pig, has a stutter. It has been found that he stutters 23% of his spoken words and uses a wide variety of stuttering types.
Stuttering affects around 70 million people worldwide, so yes of course there is going to be a comedian who stutters.
The National Stuttering Association (https://westutter.org/) is a good website to find news about stuttering. The ‘Stuttering Foundation’ is another website that provides the most up to date news (https://www.stutteringhelp.org)
News reporter John Stossel is a news reporter who stuttered. News reporter and journalist Byron Pitts also stutter.
There are two general philosophies of stuttering treatment: Fluency shaping, and Stuttering acceptance
When an individual stutters, the voice may change as there is additional tension on the vocal folds and on the musculature surrounding it.