There are many treatments for stuttering, none of which is 100% effective. Traditional speech therapy reduces the frequency and severity of a stutter and teaches stutterers to use effective communications skills, such as making eye contact. While not a cure, speech therapy can lead to more fluent speech patterns and is especially effective in early childhood.
The duration or type of therapy needed varies among stutterers but usually involves both speech training (articulation, intonation, rate, intensity) and language training (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics). Depending on the nature and severity of the disorder, common treatments may range from physical strengthening exercises and repetitive practice to the use of medication, electronic devices, and neurosurgery.
Behavioral and cognitive therapy
Behavioral and cognitive therapy is the most common approach to stutter treatment. Such therapy usually involves the development of new speaking habits and attitudes towards speech, often including exercises in manipulating rates of speech, establishing new breathing patterns, practicing relaxation, and targeting troublesome sounds. Breathing control is often emphasized, which focuses on proper control of the diaphragm. Proponents of this method see uncoordinated movements of the diaphragm as the core cause of stuttering.
Another area sometimes emphasized during speech therapy is Valsalva training, which is training that specifically targets blocks by focusing on the gaining of greater control on the bodily mechanism that produces a block by halting airflow, the Valsalva mechanism (See External Links for more).
Also, during behavioral and cognitive therapy, efforts are made to increase confidence through repetition and positive feedback, to help alleviate the anxiety and fear associated with speaking. While individual or group therapy with a licensed speech pathologist is common, self-therapy is also a very popular practice, mainly due to its lower cost, convenience, and lower pressure. The stutterer invests in the necessary books or tapes and spends varying amounts of time per day doing exercises similar to the exercises used in professional speech therapy. Therapy usually provides some improvement to most individuals within a few weeks or months. But, like most therapy for other disorders or afflictions, it often requires constant attention and practice to maintain success. Other, less-accepted methods include everything from hypnosis to laughter to art therapy.
Medication
The use of medication that affects brain functions has also had limited success in increasing fluency, although it is usually used in conjunction with behavioral and cognitive therapy and may have side effects that limit its long-term usefulness. To date only two medications, haloperidol and risperidone, have been shown to be effective in a rigorous double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Unfortunately, both drugs have side effects that limit their usefulness, with haloperidol having more severe side effects than risperidone. The largest study of risperidone for stuttering was completed by the University of California Stuttering Research Group. In the study, rispiradone improved fluency and was well tolerated by the participants. However, side effects associated with changes in levels of the hormone prolactin developed and the medication was discontinued. Another drug, olanzapine, is similar to risperidone and haloperidol, but has a different side effect profile and has not yet been tested under a comparable double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
While the medicinal treatments for stuttering have vastly improved over recent years, there is still no medication that can "cure" stuttering. Like traditional speech therapy, medications can only decrease the frequency and severity of a stutter.