Speech therapy is extremely expensive

While stammering may not have a cure, there is a lot that people who stammer, as well as the society can do about it.

There has been a considerable advancement in speech therapy now, even if it is not totally accessible in India. While speech therapy does help, social attitudes need to change as well.

“Speech therapy is extremely expensive. It costs as much as Rs 80,000 for a three-month course,” said Dr Satyendra Srivastava, who found consulting a speech therapist unaffordable after being charged Rs 3,000 for a single consultation.

Besides, there is a shortage for good speech therapists in the country. “Most speech therapists who are trained in India, migrate to the West and even to the Thailand and Malaysia in pursuit of a more lucrative career,” said Srivastava.

While more than one lakh people suffer from stammering, the speech therapists choose to concentrate on specific speech-related problems such as misarticulation (substituting one alphabet for another), aphasia (not being able to speak at the right moment), anomia (not being able to recall the name of the object), lisp etc.

“Another thing is that we find a number of doctors who have a degree in some other speciality doubling up as speech therapists,” said Srivastava.

“Stammering is not a fixed and visible disability. Therefore, the government does not recognise this as a handicap. And even though there is stigma, there is no reservation for people who stammer,” complains VK Singh, who has battled with stammering all through his life.

“The government should offer free speech therapy to school children, as that is when life-long habits are formed,” he added.

People who stammer have a tough time while using phones. That is why, in Turkey, people who stammer get rebates in their phone bills. “There should be some concession in India as well,” said Singh.

People with PWS are so stigmatised that they are usually willing to try any remedy suggested to them.