| Stuttering, or stammering as it is known in the | | | | A person who stutters (or stammers), and |
| UK, is characterised by a person finding it difficult | | | | professionals who help them can use the Iceberg |
| to speak. A person may experience blocks in | | | | model to work on specific aspects of their |
| speech, a tense face, while repeating words. | | | | stuttering, which will help them most with their |
| These are also known as the outward features | | | | own situation. |
| of stuttering. | | | | For instance, a person with a big ice tip may have |
| However, stuttering is much more than just | | | | little fluency. Therefore, using fluency creating |
| struggling to speak. | | | | techniques, or stuttering more easily approaches |
| It is also about how it makes a person feel from | | | | can be helpful in this case. |
| inside - the hidden aspects of stuttering. | | | | For other people, who may have a bigger 'under |
| A great model developed by famous Speech and | | | | the water', cognitive therapies, including Cognitive |
| Language Pathologist, Joseph Sheehan, is called | | | | Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Neuro-Linguistic |
| the Iceberg Theory of Stuttering. | | | | Programming (NLP) can be helpful in understanding |
| The idea behind this analogy is that the tip of an | | | | how thoughts about stuttering can create anxiety |
| iceberg is the outward manifestations of | | | | and helplessness for a person, and learn ways to |
| stuttering; namely the speech blocks, and the | | | | create more empowering and positive emotions. |
| physical difficulties to speak. Below, or 'under the | | | | The Iceberg model can therefore be used as a |
| water', are the hidden features. These are the | | | | broad measure of how much a person is |
| emotions that a person feels, such as fear, | | | | progressing in their individual journey of coping |
| anxiety and shame. | | | | with stuttering. |
| The interesting thing about the Iceberg model is | | | | If a person begins to learn to deal with unhelpful |
| that it can be used to understand how stuttering | | | | emotions, then this will decrease the size of the |
| can be different from person to person. Some | | | | iceberg which is below the water. They can then |
| people have a bigger iceberg tip, while others may | | | | focus on the tip of the iceberg and create more |
| have a deeper 'underneath the water'. | | | | fluency if they need to. |
| For example, some people may stutter more | | | | A person who needs to work on creating fluency |
| outwardly, with lots of word repetitions, and | | | | first (working on the tip of their iceberg) may |
| hence have a bigger iceberg tip. But they may | | | | make progress. However, they still may |
| not have many emotional issues and therefore | | | | experience worry and anxiety, in which case they |
| have a smaller surface under the water. | | | | can work on the area 'underneath the water', in |
| Others are vice versa, with a smaller iceberg tip, | | | | their iceberg. |
| and a bigger 'underneath the water'. | | | | |