Stuttering Research & Informed Choice: NSA Commentary on the NYT
A recent New York Times article, “The New Science of Stuttering,” begins with Dr. Gerald Maguire. He is a clinical psychiatrist and a person who stutters (PWS). His own experience drives his research on medications that may help PWS.
“I’m always shocked by how little physicians know about stuttering,” he says. The article then shares other researchers’ views on the evidence and treatment goals.
New Stuttering Research Calls for Informed Choices
Dr. Maguire’s team is studying whether medications used for psychiatric conditions could help treat stuttering. Research into other possible treatments includes vitamin supplements and psilocybin, the active substance in psychedelic mushrooms.
Eric Jackson is a researcher at New York University and a PWS. He questions how much research has improved speech therapy.
“I would argue that the science on stuttering in the past 30 years has done very little, if anything, to improve speech therapy options for people who stutter,” he says.
Jackson also notes that many of the medication studies were small. Much of this work came from the same research team. Small studies can offer useful clues. Larger studies and work by other teams can help check those results.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any medication specifically for stuttering. Some medications approved for other conditions are prescribed off-label for stuttering, such as aripiprazole and citalopram. This is called off-label use. A doctor can explain what is known about its benefits and risks for stuttering.
We encourage you to learn about a treatment before deciding whether to try it. Use trusted sources and discuss your questions with a doctor or speech-language pathologist. You can use these questions when reviewing your options:
What research supports this treatment for PWS?
How many people took part in the studies? Have other research teams found similar results?
What are the possible side effects and costs? What time or effort does it require?
How will we know if it is helping me reach my goals?
Other people’s experiences can be useful, but your results may differ.
Speech Therapy Can Address More Than Fluency
This topic is part of a decades-long debate about how to treat stuttering. Historically, stuttering has been treated by speech-language pathologists using a fluency-shaping approach that emphasizes reducing disfluencies.
Modern therapy often takes an acceptance-based approach and focuses on improving the client's quality of life and joy of speaking. Diane Paul of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) discusses this in the article, explaining that speech can become tiring when therapy focuses only on reducing stuttering.
“It turns speaking into an exhaustive process where you have to think about every word you want to say,” she says.
ASHA’s guidance also supports care based on each person’s needs and goals. That can include changes in speech and ways to make daily conversations easier. A person who avoids speaking at work might want to share an idea in a meeting. Someone else might want to speak with less muscle tension. Both goals can be part of speech therapy.
Stuttering Support Should Reflect Individual Goals
At the National Stuttering Association (NSA), we support people at every stage of their experience with stuttering. We respect what works for you. We want you to have clear information so you can make choices that fit your goals.
Some people want help with speech or muscle tension. Others want to feel more at ease stuttering openly. Your goals may include both, and they may change over time.
You can accept yourself as a PWS and still seek treatment. You can also focus on self-acceptance and support from others without seeking treatment. Your goals should help guide the care you receive.
We also work to help listeners understand stuttering and treat PWS with respect.
Read “The New Science of Stuttering” in The New York Times. Requires a subscription.
