Thursday, August 07, 2008

News from one of my crackpots

You should have a look at Steve Hill's attempt at intellectual musings on the causes of stuttering: here. He has already received a Crackpot Award, but deserves more attention.
I have a number of e-mails from people who are worried that their children might in some way "catch or copy" their stutter and therefore develop a stutter in this way. We all know how damaging our own speech impediment has been and therefore would not wish a stutter on any person let alone our children.

Other people have told me that they developed a stutter after being involved in some form of scary incident, such as a car crash. The stutter seemingly developed due to some form of shock reaction.

He clearly has no understanding of the difference between correlation and causality, is relating on anecdotes, completely disregards genetic and brain imaging work.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Our daughter recently reported that she gets stuck/ stutters. We really do not hear any residual stutter. She stuttered severely, facial involvement, stopped talking when she started stuttering, when she was about 3 years old. It lasted approx 4-6 months with varying degrees of severity. So, when she expressed exasperation (now at age 7), I was not sure what to do, say. Is she blocking and going on with a different word? Or reacting to a "typical" residual stutter in light of her brother's persistent stutter. I talked with his SLP, and he'd say he'd keep an ear out for difficulty, but he's not going to hear much. I'm responding to this post, because it's similar, but I know better than to think she's just copying anything.
Lynne

Anonymous said...

http://216.194.201.208/terrytown/listeningprogram.com/
Have you ever reviewed this site? Advanced Brain Technologies, in this site stating that they can cure stuttering.
Lynne

Tom Weidig said...

Hi Lynne,

where do they still claim that they can cure stuttering?

I couldn't find it.

Best wishes,
Tom

Tom Weidig said...

She might well still have an inherent tendency to block sometimes after her recovery. The latest brain imaging studies show that recovered kids do not get normal brains but seem to compensate a deficiency well.

Anonymous said...

Here's some info I've gotten about the listening program: No "cure" just "progress" Sorry--I was not quoting...
I'm only able to find friendly research.
Lynne

http://www.tomatis.com/English/Articles/research.html
Studies also have been conducted on stuttering (12), laterality (13,14), anxiety and depression (15) showing positive effect obtained by the Tomatis treatment.
(here's the reference)
12. Van Jaarsveld, 1973, 1974, quoted by Pieter E. van Jaarsveld and Wynand F. du Plessis, in S. Afr. Tydskr. Sielk. 1988, 18 (4)

http://listening.com.au/faq.html#56
Are the gains made during a Tomatis program lasting?
Yes, progress made during a Tomatis program lasts. This is because the gains made are not due to a conditioning but rather to a restoration of balance. Indeed, even though the reasons for seeking help from the Tomatis Method are many and varied, all are related to a malfunction and thus to a more or less severe state of Neuro physiological disequilibrium. Ear training with the Electronic Ear will, therefore, tend to lead the individual back toward a state of equilibrium, which, because it is a normal state, requires much less effort than a more or less severe state of dysfunction. We can state, then, that, in the great majority of cases, not only are gains made by the individual during the program maintained but also that progress may continue once the developmental process has been restored to its normal state.

Who uses the Tomatis Method?
The Tomatis Method is used by professionals who work with children, adolescents or adults having problems with respect to: Learning: i. oral language (articulation, diction, rhythm, stuttering, voice timbre, language delay, absence of language); ii. written language (dyslexia, dysgraphia, spelling problems); iii. expression ( ideation, concentration, memorization); iv. assimilation (comprehension, retention); v. learning aids (preparation for exams, etc…). Personal development: i. energy (fatigue, memory, concentration, motivation, creativity, goal setting and achievement of objectives); ii. relaxation (stress, dependencies, overwork); iii. equilibrium ( skill, agility, laterality, sports); iv. communication (timidity, aggressiveness, withdrawal, understanding of self and others); v. spoken and sung voice (quality and flow, pitch, diction, articulation, placement of the voice, professional mastery of the voice); vi. music (awareness, speed, quality, rhythm, analysis, memorization); vii. pregnancy. Behavioural problems: i. motor problems (coordination, delay, dysgraphia, hypotonia); ii. psychological problems (relationship problems, depression, severe anxiety, exhaustion, overwork). Foreign languages (preparation, assimilation, acquisition, accent, advancement, mastery).

Who uses the Tomatis Method?
The Tomatis Method is used by professionals who work with children, adolescents or adults having problems with respect to: Learning: i. oral language (articulation, diction, rhythm, stuttering, voice timbre, language delay, absence of language); ii. written
language (dyslexia, dysgraphia, spelling problems); iii. expression ( ideation, concentration, memorization); iv. assimilation (comprehension, retention); v. learning aids (preparation for exams, etc…). Personal development: i. energy (fatigue, memory, concentration, motivation, creativity, goal setting and achievement of objectives); ii. relaxation (stress, dependencies, overwork); iii. equilibrium ( skill, agility, laterality, sports); iv. communication (timidity, aggressiveness, withdrawal, understanding of self and others); v. spoken and sung voice (quality and flow, pitch, diction, articulation, placement of the voice, professional mastery of the voice); vi. music (awareness, speed, quality, rhythm, analysis, memorization); vii. pregnancy. Behavioural problems: i. motor problems (coordination, delay, dysgraphia, hypotonia); ii. psychological problems (relationship problems, depression, severe anxiety, exhaustion, overwork). Foreign languages (preparation, assimilation, acquisition, accent, advancement, mastery).

How soon do the results of the Tomatis Method become noticeable?
The observable results of the Tomatis Method must be analysed on two levels, one rather superficial and the other deep-rooted. On the superficial level, a number of apparent results can be perceived rather quickly within a few weeks or even a few days following the onset of listening sessions with the Electronic Ear. For this reason, the Tomatis Method is often experienced as a dynamic procedure that is easy to pursue both by the individual who is benefiting from it and by his/her close associates. At a deeper level, it must be understood that the restructuring brought about by the Electronic Ear allows the individual to recover his or her own inner balance and, thus, to modify, in the best sense of the term, his/her own value system; this in-depth development is less spectacular and takes place at a slower pace. One of the important points, then, is to recognize that these improvements are not only going to be maintained over time but also will continue well after the end of a Tomatis listening program. A well-conducted listening training program with the Electronic Ear will produce results lasting several years, the individual having been repositioned in a state of evolving normalcy that only a major new event would be able to counteract. In such a case, a simple short booster program in a Tomatis Centre is often all that is necessary to re-establish equilibrium and restart continuing improvement.

http://thestutteringbrain.blogspot.com/2008/03/primary-and-feedback-phase-of.html
MommaWriter said... started trying some other things. He now goes to his Lidcombe specialist by himself and she's working more on the social/psychological stuff that actual speech therapy, I think (hey, I'm no longer in the room!). We've also started taking him to an OT for "sensory issues" (it's all kinda new-agey stuff, to me) and she has him on an listening program that's supposed to help his vestibular system and get his whole body more "organized". For the first couple of weeks, his speech was much, much better, but now he's having a lot of trouble again. Is there any reason? Is it all random?