for Teens  and Adults

Stuttering affects people in different ways. From those who are mildly affected to those who feel devastated by it, one thing is held in common. Stuttering affects the person as a whole.

For those of you who live with the problem, you know that your speech mechanism doesn't work the way it's supposed to. You also know that it doesn't stop there. Stuttering has affected your whole life...how you think, how you feel and how you interact with the world.

We work to provide individuals with the kind of treatment that enables them to move toward a more fluent way of living...in body and in mind. We have learned that people not only need to learn how to change the way their speech mechanism works but that the physical speech management must be supported by changes on psychological and emotional levels as well. We have also learned that individuals need support over time in order to be guided through the process of integrating new skills and attitudes into their lives.

Our primary model for teen and adult treatment is intensive, three weeks, seven to eight hours a day. In addition, we now offer a new four week model that involves only two weeks of full time daily participation and is completed over the final two weeks in the evenings and on weekends.

The Institute also offers the more traditional individual weekly sessions. Although the following is a description of the intensive program, know that the necessary whole person components are incorporated into the weekly session model as well.

 The Intensive Treatment Process

• Three Week Intensive: Full Time Daily Sessions
  
• Four Week Intensive: Two Weeks of Full Time Daily Sessions & Two Weeks of Evenings/Weekends

The American Institute's intensive treatment program is 100+ hours over a three or four week period and a follow up support system that is designed exclusively for adults and teens, as young as age 12. This treatment can be appropriate for all degrees of stuttering severity from mild to severe. A maximum of eight clients is accepted into each intensive program.

The small group format allows for a great deal of individualized attention as well as providing benefit from group interaction. 

We find our clients thrive in the psychological support of going through this process with others who share similar experiences. Also, practicing new speech management with others in the group helps to bridge the gap between the clinic and the "real world".

Our primary intention is to provide our clients with a positive, uplifting and empowering treatment experience. We work alongside our clients to guide them through a process that trains not only the physical aspects of how to operate and manage the speech mechanism, but also provides concrete experiences that change thinking and attitude.

This is a treatment process that takes a whole person, comprehensive approach that draws upon fields not typically associated with stuttering treatment. Expertise from the fields of cognitive and sports psychology, physical training, performance, motivation, and human potential have been brought together with the science and research of speech pathology to create a unique and effective treatment process.

Stuttering/Speech Management

Though the exact cause is still not completely known, today's research is gaining ground pointing to a neurological basis for stuttering with a hereditary component. It appears as if there is a timing problem in the communication of signals from the brain to the vocal cords resulting in a tensing of the speech muscles which produce sound. This miscoordination of the vocal cords then affects the other parts of the speech mechanism: the lips, tongue, jaw, and the muscles for breathing. The physical aspect of stuttering can be described as an over tensing and miscoordination of speech muscle movements.

The good news is that there is nothing "broken" in the speech mechanism itself: all of the required parts and pieces are intact. Once our clients have thoroughly identified what they do physically and mentally when they stutter, we teach them how normal speech is produced by breaking it into parts and then practicing to rebuild the system into the coordinated movements that produce naturally fluent speech. In this way, one is able to develop a finely tuned sense of what a normally coordinated speech muscle system and therefore, what fluent speech feels like. Other speech management techniques are taught as well in order to widen the choices for speech management and control.

Psychological/Attitude Management

Even though stuttering appears to have a neurological basis, a whole psychology develops around dealing with the problem and all the emotions that it creates. We'll break down this psychology into two categories: the mental and the emotional.

The Mental Part

Thinking patterns develop over time that "program" people to expect and fear stuttering in certain situation, on certain words, or on certain sounds. Our minds are very quick to associate experiences so if you have difficulty saying a word in one situation, you're going to quickly learn to believe that you will have difficulty again. This expectation/fear causes an adrenaline rush which then creates more physical tension in your body which helps to create the block.

This is why it seems as if stuttering is "psychological"...but in actuality it is a physical problem that is made worse by the psychological reaction. Imagine playing any sport under stress...or performing your first recital. The body and the speech muscle system is affected by stress and anxiety and will tense up even more under such conditions. What then develops, is that you try to do something about it like switch words or avoid the situation all together...you've had to develop all kinds of mental strategies to simply survive.

 The Emotional Part

Certainly, a large part of dealing with stuttering are all the misconceptions that people have about it. Parents, physicians, teachers, the media and the general public's misunderstanding leads to even greater frustration and embarrassment. Historically, people have believed stuttering to be a psychological problem. Therefore the individual who stutters and his or her family develop the guilt and shame associated with such a judgment. This, then attacks one's self confidence and greater sense of involvement in the world.

These mental and emotional aspects of stuttering are often more devastating and life-affecting than the stuttering itself. It is, therefore, critical that these areas be effectively managed as well. We work directly with our clients on word and situation fears and reduction and elimination of avoidances....working toward a freedom in communicating and in life that is so very important.

Developing a support system in one's life is also essential. Our clients learn how to open up and talk about their stuttering in a comfortable way with others. This not only serves to educate others but it facilitates the development of a strong self confidence. Individuals have the opportunity to learn how to make these mental and attitudinal changes that will support the healing process of integrating new skills and new attitudes into their lives.

The Intensive Program

During the first few days, clients become more in tune with what they do when they stutter, both physically and mentally. We then begin the process of learning how to open up and talk to others about stuttering in a confident and comfortable manner. Soon these activities are integrated with direct speech management: developing speech coordination skills and immediately integrating the skills into practical application with the others in the group.

All of these speech and attitudinal skills are gradually integrated into real life application: with family, friends, on the phone and in practice in many outside situations. These experiences out in the world are critically important to the whole process. This is when the individual can really "prove" to him or herself that he/she can do it....when the confidence really begins to be built.

Combined, these elements of treatment enable the individual to develop an array of speech management tools, an empowered attitude that offers mental and emotional support through this challenging and exciting process of change and concrete experience to develop the strength and confidence to integrate it all into life.

The Institute's workspace is spacious, casual and warm. Each client has his or her own work area with telephones. The larger work areas are designed for small group sessions, practice sessions among the clients, and for rest and relaxation.

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