Aphasia and Stutter Therapy: An Ailment Not to be Treated

This work demonstrates the history of two common speech and communication disorders: aphasia and stuttering. Once considered incurable diseases, these conditions have since generated rich rehabilitation practices and accompanying schools of thought. The first part of the thesis takes up adult aphasia, excluding cases involving speech and communication disorders due to other mental illnesses. The second half of this project conveys the history of stuttering. The majority of the modern cases analyzed in this thesis focus on developmental stuttering in children; although, different forms of stuttering are embedded in the progression of the therapy history. Each chapter includes a section on modern Speech and Language Pathology (SLP) practices, outlining the benefits of poetry therapy for each disability. Given that aphasia and stuttering are two different conditions, this section focuses on the potential benefits of poetry therapy for both respective fields of study. Poetry analysis of patients with aphasia and stutters shows how a new form of therapy not only helps their speech, but returns their independence. Following this analysis, I include original poems that aim to describe the people and experiences I have encountered through my work at a rehabilitation hospital and as a teacher assistant for children with disabilities, as well as personal poems inspired by my role as caretaker for my little brother with down syndrome. This project, then, serves as a cohesive manifestation of diverse discourses, both personal and clinical, surrounding aphasia and stuttering in the field of speech language pathology.