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3 Exercises for stuttering

Stuttering

Stuttering is a speaking disorder. But that’s not a problem at all. Unlike what people think, stuttering can be completely cured. Stuttering affects an approximately one percent of the total population. It is induced by various factors. Some people have it by birth, and some develop it over a course of time.

The treatment of genetically ingrained stuttering problem requires a lot of effort. Neurophysiologic imbalances contribute to this condition. Changing the neurophysiologic orientation of a person may need specialized and prolonged techniques. Speech therapy is an excellent solution for treating stuttering. There might be some factors that might cause this problem. These factors have to be identified and removed. People with stuttering are tense most of the time. They are in a state of frenzy or panic always. Creating a relaxed environment will help balm the neurophysiologic orientation to order the flow of thought-to-speech and vice-versa, in a better manner. Apart from speech therapy there are some simple exercises which help in the treatment of this disease.

1. Breathing Exercises

Stress, anger, depression and many more related emotions and body conditions cause stuttering. Somehow the stutterer has a more pronounced sensitivity toward stress and anxiety. Blame it on the stutterer’s genes or the environment. As a self-help remedy, breathing exercises can be taken up. Deep breathing relaxes the brain by flooding it with oxygen. An oxygen-rich brain starts to relax. Anger, anxiety, stress, and depression cause people to breathe slowly. Shallow breath reduces oxygen supply to the brain. It causes impaired function of the brain.

The best form of breathing is diaphragmatic breathing. This form of breathing is also called belly breathing. By expanding one’s belly while inhaling air, the diaphragm also moves down. When the diaphragm moves down, the lungs get more space for expansion. An expanded lung can now intake a whole lot of oxygen than its normal capacity. Diaphragmatic breathing is excellent for relaxation and stress management. Closing one’s eyes while doing this breathing technique helps to focus on the breathing. The associated benefits are a meditative experience and increased immunity levels. Diaphragmatic breathing should be done for five minutes daily. Increasing the duration and frequency of this breathing exercise will enhance the process of recovery. Stutterers can use this technique to see remarkable changes in their communication in less than six months.

2. Slow Speaking Exercises

People with stuttering problems have a habit of saying things fast. People listening often do not understand the words being said. Such fast speaking causes the person to swallow the words while saying it. This does not mean to say that all fast speakers are stutterers. Yet, stutterers have to slow down their speech and make an attempt to get pronunciation right even if it takes a lot of time. Speech therapists propose the idea of thinking aloud. People with stuttering problems should think words aloud in their mind. They should initially speak out the words slowly in their minds. Later, they should make the attempt to slowly pick each word and say it. Stutterers often neglect this piece of advice. They feel slow-speaking could make them ridiculous. Because of the fear of being termed as mentally retarded, stutterers speak fast, even if it meant stuttering. But slow speaking does not mean that the person doing it will speak slowly all the time. Slowly the pace of pronunciation and sentence formation will increase. The co-ordination of nerves connecting the tongue and brain nerve will become better.

3. Reading

Reading is an excellent and extremely simple exercise for stuttering, reading exercises parts of the brain that are responsible for speech development. By slow and concentrated reading, tremendous progress can be made. Half an hour of reading aloud everyday will bring good results every day. Reading in solitude reduces the pressure of making mistakes and sounding silly. Silent reading coupled with reading aloud is excellent to develop excellent vocabulary and develop effective communication skills.

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