Using Technology as a Form of Stuttering Therapy
 
The advancement in technology wizardry is showing no sign of abating. One exciting development in this technological world could be the discovery of a new form of stuttering therapy.
 
Who knows, perhaps a future winner of the Technology Award could be the pioneer that develops such a program.

This piece of information technology would certainly be sought after, it is estimated that around one percent of the adult population has a stutter and many more have other forms of speech impediment.

The whole venture, if it were to include the full range of speech impediments such as a stutter, a studder, a clutter and a lisp, would have a huge market and therefore the potential profits would be enormous.

This is perhaps one of the reasons why many experts believe that the future of speech therapy could be technology based.
 
One person who knows all too well about the affects of having a stutter is Stephen Hill. Mr Hill had a stutter which started to impact on his life when he was only four years of age. Steve explains:
 
“I found life to be one massive struggle; the stutter dragged me down, led me to becoming a loner, damaged my self-confidence and lowered my self-esteem. It was public enemy number one, for me. I just knew that I had to find a way to eradicate the problem”.
 
“What most people would consider to be simple and basic speaking tasks were quite the opposite for me.

Ordering a drink at a bar, phoning for a pizza, introducing people and even saying my own name were often beyond me and would lead to the stutter rearing its ugly head”.
 
“I did attend therapy when I was younger however it did little to help me”.
 
Steve did eventually manage to find a cure to his stutter and has now enjoyed the miracle of fluent speech for the last twelve years (as at 2008).
 
He now runs the How to Stop Stuttering Centre which is based in the UK . There he runs one-to-one speech courses to help other people to achieve fluency.
 
There are a number of self-help treatment options available for people who are unable or do not feel that they have the confidence to attend a course. These options include an e-book, a DVD and an audio book.
 
Steve welcomes the potential of  technology therapy for stuttering and hopes it will help many other people to enjoy what he is now able to enjoy – fluency.