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Advice and Support
The Need for SupportThe Valsalva Hypothesis and Valsalva Control have been received with a great deal of enthusiasm among people who stutter. However, the full benefits of Valsalva Control are not always realized due to the fact that it currently must be pursued on a do-it-yourself basis, without professional instruction and supervision. It is unfortunate that persons working on Valsalva Control are not always able to find support to help them with their practice. Because I am not a licensed speech therapist, I have been reluctant to get too much involved in giving direct advice and support to persons who stutter, other than the general advice and descriptions contained in my book, Understanding & Controlling Stuttering, and the annual workshops I have presented at conferences of the National Stuttering Project. It is also very difficult to give individual advice over the Internet about stuttering, without actually seeing or hearing the person speak. In order to get around this, I had hoped to develop a list of speech therapists who incorporate Valsalva Control into their stuttering therapy. Therefore, I have been trying to generate interest by attending professional meetings and conferences for therapists and researchers in the field of stuttering. While some have seemed interested, I was mainly struck by the speech-language profession's overwhelming ignorance of the Valsalva mechanism and reluctance to learn anything about it - especially from an outsider who doesn't have a formal degree in speech-language pathology. Speech therapists seem to have limited the scope of their practice to the vocal tract - i.e., the mouth, larynx, and perhaps the diaphragm - and no further. Because the abdominal muscles and other elements of the Valsalva mechanism go beyond this area, most SLPs totally ignore them. However, I have found that the blocks that occur in the mouth and larynx are really only the tip of the iceberg. Stuttering cannot be adequately understood or controlled without considering the entire physiological mechanism that powers the blocks. Financial Roadblocks to ResearchMy attempts to persuade the SLP profession to consider the Valsalva mechanism's possible role in stuttering continually runs into the following "Catch 22": The profession will not consider the Valsalva Hypothesis - or even research it - until it is supported by empirical scientific studies. (I realize that personal testimonials by stutterers who have been helped by Valsalva Control are not considered to be "scientific," but I had hoped that they would at least generate some professional curiosity.) However, as a layman (I am a trial lawyer), I am not in a position to conduct the studies myself, and no researcher seems interested in doing them without substantial funding. Researchers, who are already struggling to get their own projects funded, have no incentive to seek research grants to test the Valsalva Hypothesis. Nor is commercial investment likely, because Valsalva Control is not a product like drugs and electronic devices, which can be sold for profit. Therefore, if I want research to be done, I must pay for it myself. I have been bluntly told that, if I put up around $50,000 to $100,000, I could probably interest someone in doing a scientifically controlled study. Or I could go back to school, get a degree in speech-language pathology at some university, and become a therapist myself. Either route would involve a serious financial sacrifice for me, my family, and my law practice. Advice and Coaching in Valsalva ControlIn the meantime, I have decided to become more personally involved in giving general advice on the Valsalva Stuttering Forum, as well as giving direct personal support to people who wish to learn Valsalva Control as a means of controlling their stuttering. Just to be clear: I am not a speech therapist, and I do not intend to give "speech therapy." What I intend to do might be called "Valsalva Control Coaching." This is something that speech therapists currently are not taught and do not do. Important parts of the Valsalva mechanism, such as the abdominal muscles, are outside the limited area to which SLPs ordinarily confine themselves. I am willing to give a reasonable amount of individual Valsalva Control Coaching by telephone (or in person within the Philadelphia, PA area). My coaching will be FREE OF CHARGE. All I ask is that you READ MY BOOK, Understanding & Controlling Stuttering, AND TRY THE EXERCISES FIRST, so that you are already familiar with the Valsalva Hypothesis and the basics of Valsalva Control. If you are interested, please e-mail me at valsalvastutter@aol.com to arrange a time for a telephone conference. Audio Examples of "Adronian Speech"I have placed on this website a number of audio clips of examples of the "Adronian speech" exercise, described in Chapter 26 of my book, Understanding & Controlling Stuttering. These audio examples are intended exclusively for people who have already read the detailed explanations and instructions in my book. Otherwise, they will be meaningless and of no value. National Stuttering Association and Local Support GroupsI would I highly recommend that anyone seeking support in controlling stuttering in the United States join the National Stuttering Association, which has local self-help support groups through the U.S. You can find a local chapter by going to the NSA's website at http://www.westutter.org. The NSA will also be holding its annual conference on Thursday, June 24 through Saturday, June 26, 2004, in Baltimore, Maryland. During the conference, I will present two workshops devoted to the Valsalva Hypothesis and Valsalva Control:
If you are able to attend, I would strongly encourage you to do so. Bill Parry Last modified June 3, 2004 Copyright © 2004 by William D. Parry |
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