Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering (ARTS) is based on the premise that the problem of stuttering in adulthood results from efforts to avoid showing stuttering or being identified as a person who stutters. These include (1) physical concomitant behaviors (eye closure, jaw jerks) and linguistic strategies to avoid or delay words (word substitutions, use of interjections), and (2) attitudes, feelings and thoughts that contribute to fear of speaking, tension, and situational avoidance. The goals of therapy are to reduce maladaptive reactive behaviors that interfere with communication as well as the “mental gymnastics” that limit participation in daily life. This study will assess degree of change in standard communicative and attitudinal measures across weeks of enrollment ARTS in a group therapy setting.
Graduate Researchers
Undergraduate Research Assistants
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