Case Studies
Commentary & Stuttering Case Studies From
Vivian Topp, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Ambilingual Associates, Inc.
Miami, FL
Suttering Case Study 1
Situation
The client is a 30-year-old male, severe stutterer, who works as a radiology technician at a large hospital in Miami, Florida. The client’s uncle (paternal) was also a severe stutterer. The client has received speech therapy "off and on" during elementary school, high school and as a young adult (approximately 12 years ago).
Prior to obtaining the SpeechEasy device, the client had difficulty speaking on the phone, speaking with his administrators and speaking to hospital patients.Specifically, he demonstrated tonic blocks that lasted 4-5 sec., repetitions, prolongations and facial contortions as well as movement of the lower extremities during stuttering events.
Results
The client experienced the following immediate results with SpeechEasy speech therapy:
Stuttered Syllables
- Conversation
Without SpeechEasy, 35%; with SpeechEasy, 5% - Reading
Without SpeechEasy, 28%; with SpeechEasy, 3%
Stuttering Case Study 2
Situation
The client is a 14-year-old male who is in the 9th grade at a private school in West Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The client lives with his mother and brother. His father lives overseas but visits frequently. The client speaks two languages, English and Papiamiento. He is a severe stutterer.
Prior to obtaining the SpeechEasy device, the client reported difficulty when speaking with his peers, during oral reading in school and when asked to present reports or answer questions orally in school. He exhibited silent blocks (2-3 seconds) at the outset of phrases, voiced blocks, phonemic and part-word repetitions, and secondary characteristics such as closing his eyes, lip pressing, glottal fry and movement of the extremities.
According to the client’s mother, he received speech therapy since elementary school with "one to two year breaks in between when we saw he was tired". His last round of therapy was approximately one year ago. He recently started receiving therapy in school and it was the school speech pathologist that brought SpeechEasy devices to the parents’ attention.
Results
The client experienced the following immediate results with SpeechEasy speech therapy:
Stuttered Syllables
- Conversation
Without SpeechEasy, 36%; with SpeechEasy, 8% - Reading
Without SpeechEasy, 21%; with SpeechEasy, 3%
This client continued to experience difficulty initiating phrases. The used of vocalizations such as "uh" and "mmm" were demonstrated as "starter" techniques. He was able to return demonstration easily with good results in conversation.
