The Washington times., 1933-09-14
Secrets OF
Health
By LOUIS E. BISCH. Md. Ph.D.
Speech Defects Are Varied But
Generally Durable

Generally Durable
Speech defects are indeed nu-
merouS in variety, and volumes
might be written upon the sew
eral types, the possible causes
for each and the best treat
ment TO be employed. What
should be emphasized at the
outset, however, is that no mat
ter how long a speech difficulty
may have been in existence,
hope of improvement and ulti-
mate cure should never be lost.
Not only is a defect of speech
one of the greatest handicaps
and sources of embarrassment
a person can have, but the
truth of the matter is that
comparatively few cases are
treated correctly or for a suf-
ficient length of time.
Suffering and stammering
are the commonest defects. The
distinction that is made be-
tween them is that in stutter.
ing the patient experiences diff
tlculty in pronouncing words
and Syllables, while in stammer.
ing it is individual sounds that
give trouble.
Shock and Fright
In both conditions shocks and
frights are common causes al
though, antedating such an
emotional upset, there is all
ways a nervous temperament.
constituting a favorable soil, so
to speak, for the Sprouting of
a speech difficulty.
Many cases begin in child
hood, and here the factor of
imitation is highly important.
Place normal child with one
who does not talk properly, and
soon the normal one has
caught" the trouble.
A form of speech disturbance
that often is confused with stut-
tering and stammering is "clut-
tering." This is a kind Of
hasty and mumbled speech.
The clutterer talks too fast and
slurs his words. He is too eager
to talk, asd too excited.
Where the stutterer and
stammerer should try to lose
his self-consciouSness when he
talks, the more self-conscions-
ness the clutterer experiences
the better. In other words, the
former should not think too
much about what he is going
to say, while the latter should
think about that very thing as
much as possible, always max
ing a point of talking slowly
and with deliberation.
Lisping
Lisping is another speech
defect frequently met with.
This is due to faulty position
OF the organs of articulation,
which produces the defect in
enunciation. Often it is moth
Ing more than a survival of
baby talk" which, happily, the
modern mother does not use in
talking to her children.
This is often referred to as
negligent" lisping. Such a
person says "tandy" for
candy" although he may be
able and without difficulty, to
pronounce "cake" correctly.
Malformations of the tongue,
palate or teeth. may be the
causes Of almost any form of
speech defect. These, when
present, must always be cor
rected before speech exercises,
proper breathing and, the like
can be taught.
Neglected Nerves
What is highly important
and this fact is often over
looked-is treatment of the
nervous system. Without this
no amount of speech training,
no matter what it's nature, is
likely to prove permanently
beneficial. Often, indeed, a
perfectly rational course Of
speech exercises goes for
naught because the nerves have
been neglected.
In many cases nervous in.
stability precedes the speech
trouble. In others the nervous
arrangement is a natural sensi.
tiveness flowing from the
speech handicap. Attention to
the nerves, therefore, is essen
tial in all cases, whether in
children or in adults.