Self-perception of people who stutter regarding their experiences and results of stuttering treatments.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the opinion about stuttering treatments in people who stutter, based on their answers to two open questions.


METHODS
The participants were 40 adults of both genders, with self-reported stuttering. During the first phase of the research, we contacted two Brazilian nongovernmental organizations: the Brazilian Stuttering Association (ABRAGAGUEIRA) and the Brazilian Fluency Institute (IBF). These associations agreed to participate and were responsible for sending the research questions to their members via electronic mail. The first contact with the participants elucidated the purpose and method of our research and, after obtaining informed consent from participants, the two questions were sent. The research questions involved their opinion about cure, treatments to which the participants had been submitted, and their outcome.


RESULTS
After analysis, the answers obtained indicated that people who stutter believe in a cure for stuttering; that the ideal therapy would be the one that led to the disappearance of the symptoms; and the most frequently reported professional to treat the disorder is the speech-language pathologist. The results also indicated that although most of the participants had undergone speech-language treatment for stuttering, neither significant improvements were observed nor satisfaction was positive.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that the answers presented by the participants were not based on scientific knowledge about the disorder but on their wish that "something could happen" to make stuttering "disappear." Although in this study we did not investigate the type of treatment to which the patients were submitted, the results suggest that the factors that contribute to an effective treatment are contentious.
Department of Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo - USP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Claudia Regina Furquim de
CR
Andrade
Departamento de Clínica Fonoaudiológica, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e da Saúde, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo - PUC-SP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Maria Claudia
MC
Cunha
Department of Physical Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo - USP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Fabiola Staróbole
FS
Juste
School of Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo - USP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Ana Paula
AP
Ritto
Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo - PUC-SP, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Beatriz Paiva Bueno de
BP
Almeida
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012649:Self Concept; D013070:Speech Therapy; D013342:Stuttering / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult