Power R Game Managing Stuttering

1. Power R Game Managing Stuttering By Gordon Blood Stuttering Foundation of America

2. Why work on Attitudes and Feelings • 1. My attitude is what changes my reality • Cognitive perceptions and opinions aid persons who stutter in constructively attending to specific stimuli every time a person stutters. • Other specific cognition may also cause persons who stutter to misread a situation, try to predict what others are thinking or make general assumptions about their speech performance • These cognitive modes or triggers typical affect future behaviors.

3. Stutters beliefs usually include • 1. Their stuttering is constantly changing • 2. Going to a clinician for treatment is important • 3. Following a daily routine for practicing is important • 4. Monitoring thoughts, images and feelings about stuttering is a healthy part of living and enables them to adjust to their changing stuttering problem

4. A major part of stuttering therapy with adolescents and young adults, along with working on behavioral change, IS PROVIDING the appropriate environment in which to discuss and experiment with different coping strategies, different attitudes and different feelings.

5. Few professionals are better equipped and qualified than professionally trained Speech-Language Pathologists to understand the RELATION SHIP between attitude and behavior in stuttering

6. Therapy should encourage the development of problem-solving skills, creative solutions and new ideas about stuttering, and correct misperceptions about the cause and facts of stuttering.

7. The Power R Game is based on theHealth Belief Model (HBM0 by Becker in 1974.Game as designed to incorporate cognitive abilities, individual characteristics of the adolescent and the influence of specific contexts.

8. 4 Components of the Power R Game • 1. Client’s own perception of the disorder’s severity • The deciding factor in seeking treatment • 2. Client’s belief in their susceptibility to the disorder if treatment is not sought • An avoidance solution is to ‘avoid’ people and situation, words that make them stutter instead of seeking therapy

9. 3. Client's belief in the efficacy of the treatment • An individual who seeks treatment must believe that the treatment will result in positive change! • 4. Client’s belief that the benefits of therapy outweigh its costs • Costs include monetary, time, embarrassment, and risks confronting the disorder • Benefits include….. • THE BENEFITS MUST OUTWEIGH the costs

10. Power R Game • Object of Game: • To discuss client’s attitudes and feelings about themselves and their stuttering • Game can be used as a • Starting point for creating a safe environment to discuss their feelings and attitudes about stuttering • As a way to help young people who stutter deal with stuttering and develop coping strategies and choices about the disorder

11. Power R Game Topics • Permission- • Expectation for therapy Ownership focus on ownership and the ‘cure' expectation Well-being and taking ownership of their lives strategies for relieving stress, taking charge of their lives Esteem of self define limiting beliefs Resilience one way to get control of stuttering

12. End of Discussion • To order, • Stuttering Foundation of America • 1-800-992-9392