Tratamiento psicológico de la tartamudez crónica: estudio descriptivo de cinco casos clínicos

Persistent stuttering is defined by the permanence of disfluencies and the presence of cognitive, behavioral, and communication factors that contribute to maintaining and aggravating it. Therefore, clinical treatment should focus on improving speech fluency, ensuring generalization of the new prosodic pattern, and managing dysfunctional thoughts and social and communicative avoidance behaviors that help maintain the problem and cause significant loss of quality of life in patients.

Objective

The main objective is to measure the efficacy of a standardized treatment focused on speech fluency and psychological aspects for adult patients with persistent stuttering.

Material and methods

Analytical clinical study of the results of the psychological intervention. An evaluation of all aspects involved in persistent stuttering was carried out using validated instruments and speech recording. The protocol of a clinical treatment for chronic stuttering was applied.

Results

Speech fluency in spontaneous speech and reading samples and the OASES questionnaire subscales from five stuttering patients aged 21-25 years were assessed. The treatment reduced the percentage of stuttered syllables in all cases, both in speaking and reading, as well as a reduction in scores on all OASES subscales.

Conclusion

Clinical results obtained indicate the efficacy of the protocol used to modify the frequency of stuttering and other associated behaviors. Some considerations of interest for therapists of chronic stuttering are exposed.