GET RID OF THAT S…S…STAMMERING
SWAR SUDHAR SOCIETY , a voluntary organisation engaged in correcting speech defects.
Speech is learned behaviour ,says Dr. Sajiv Adlakha , and therefore, any such disorders can be cured by Therapy. Dr. Adlakha runs speech and hearing clinics in the city.Swar Sudhar is a society formed by
People who come to him for curing their stammering.The society has over 600 members all over the
Country and some even outside --- in Nepal and Afganistan.
The idea behind forming this society , says Dr. Adlakha , was to give these people the confidence to face
Life. They get the feeling of being their own therapists and the realisation that nobody else can help them
As much as they can themselves.
Once fluency in speech is attained , it does not necessarily remain permanently.This requires what is called
"Maintenance Therapy". The person with disorder withdraws from the clinic but remains in touch with the
therapist. The Swar Sudhar Society plays a crucial role at this juncture. Group activities like enacting a play
or putting up other performances , are encouraged. The opportunity for public speaking proves to be
extremely valuable.
Psychotherapy is , therefore , an important part of speech therapy."We try to build up an inner self-confidence. "Dr. Adlakha explains while the disorder nearly always impairs the person's confidence, it
Does not always stem from psychological reasons. About 30 percent of the boys who come to him, says
Dr. Adlakha , says they had started off by imitating somebody in their class or neighbourhood for fun.
They had been applauded for this mimickry but verysoon it became a part of their own speech.
Some people often recover from a prolonged illness like typhoid with some impairment of speech. A
Major trauma or fear often caused by very strict and dominating elders -- parents or teachers -- gives
Rise to stammering . Children also sub-consciously imitate sombody in their environment who stammers
i.e. they learn to stammer unknowingly. If parents react with undue panic or harshness and try to
immediately rectify his speech, the problem is likely to take a deeper root.Yet , he says . one should not
ignore the early symptoms.
The disorder is more common among boys than among girls, says Dr. Adlakha, the ratio being almost
5:1. He points out it is also more common among the upper and upper middle classes, the reason being
that among these classes there is greater pressure to put up a show, to pretend to be what you are not.
This duality of personality begins to show up in speech disorders.
The first thing we have to do is to make the person comfortable with himself and help him in giving up
His pretences.
He admits that many among the poor probably do not know that such treatment is possible and do not
Seek therapy. He says that he encourages them to come to his clinic by charging less and compensating
Them for their expenses in the form of " rewards for achievements".
The members of Swar Sudhar Society pool in their contributions for their activities.
On an average it takes two to three years for a person to be cured. But the time taken actually depends on
The severity of the problem and if care is not taken then a person can relapse into the stammering habit
Again , " explains Dr. Sajiv Adlakha , who launched the society in 1989.
People stammer not because of the malfunctioning of the speech organs nor is it an ailment which can be
Corrected by medicines.Infact ,speech is a learnt behaviour and stammering can sometimes start as an
Innocuous prank like imitating someone who stammers a child , which then gradually develops into a
Habit.
Another reason could be that a person who suffers from typhoid or meningitis may have his or her vocal
Organs weakened because of the prolonged illness.
Since the mental vocabulary keeps expanding ,the person tries to talk a normal pace but his vocal cords
Do not match his speed and hence the stammering .there could be other psychological reasons like lack of
Attention, inferiority complex because of comparison with a brighter person etc.,which leads to stammering
In a person.
THERE IS SOLUTION FOR THIS PROBLEM:-
It is a problem which can be handled with proper therapy and co-operation from both the person who
Stammers and his family.At the society the person has to undergo therapy which includes deep breathing
Exercises and various exercises to strengthen the vocal cords through out the week.On Saturdays there is
A group therapy session.
This type of collective therapy is most effective because the person feels that it is just not him but there are
Many like him who stammer and are trying to overcomeit. And the ones who have stopped stuttering play a
Major motivating role in making these people believe that even thay can be fluent,says Dr. Adlakha.But
The same method of treatment does not work for all.
For example, collective therapy works for some and individual care work wonders for others.Similarly,for
Children play therapy is used to make them feel more comfortable and less inhibited.
Dr. Adlakha recounts some of his cases who have completely been cured of their stammering habit. Some
Of them hold high positions in both Government and corporate sectors. And one of his cases is now a
Successful commercial pilot in San Francisco, who about four years back had a very severe stammering
Problem.
In fact, stammering gets aggragated when a person gets angry or emotionally agitated. So, the next time
If you are trying to imitate your heartthrob Shahrukh Khan in his Darr lingo of K…K…Kiran,think again,
It could be the beginning of an embarrassingly stammering journey.
So WISH YOU ALL THE BEST !!!!
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