#80 Understanding the Stuttering Brain with Dr. Per Alm

TranscendingX - Raw Conversations and Practical Tips to Break Through Stuttering, Communication Fears, and Become Who You Truly Are

Dr. Per Alm is a researcher and lecturer in neuroscience and psychology, from Sweden, affiliated with Uppsala University, Sweden. He is also a person who stutters. His research has been focused on understanding stuttering, its causes and its mechanisms. A main strategy in this work has been to try to link information from different aspects of stuttering, from its basic causes to what happens in the throat and mouth.

EPISODE SUMMARY / TIME STAMPS

00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:13 Dr. Per Alm's personal experience with stuttering. 00:04:47 Dr. Per Alm's personal health history and how it relates to his work. 00:07:20 The polarization of views on stuttering treatment and acceptance. 00:10:35 From mechanical engineering to research in neuroscience and psychology. 00:14:04 The need for understanding and acceptance in stuttering treatment and research. 00:15:18 The importance of person-centered care in stuttering treatment. 00:18:45 The role of temperament in stuttering. 00:23:30 The importance of an integrated approach to stuttering treatment, with both acceptance and speech techniques. 00:26:50 The impact of stress and anxiety on stuttering. 00:29:00 The role of genetics in stuttering. 00:32:15 Discussion on the future of stuttering research and potential breakthroughs. 00:34:43 The role of psychological aspects in understanding stuttering, despite its root biological causes. 00:35:40 Admiration for researchers in the field who also stutter. 00:36:17 Dr. Per Alm cautions over-interpreting psychological aspects as the fundamental cause of stuttering. 00:38:40 Dr. Alm offers his insights on the variability of stuttering and the multifactorial nature of its causes. 00:40:35 The frustrating nature of stuttering as a condition that doesn't "cooperate" or behave predictably. 00:46:11 The role of dopamine and the brain's signaling in stuttering. 00:54:45 The episode concludes with Dr. Alm's message for the world: "Stuttering is about speech movements and not about personality."

QUOTES

"Stuttering is about speech. Not about personality." - Dr. Per Alm

"The brain automatically makes an estimation. What will be the outcome of this? If I say something, what will be the outcome and will it be catastrophic, or will people be happy?" - Dr. Per Alm

"The brain basically has two main systems... one is inward directed and one is outward directed." - Dr. Per Alm

"Stuttering is the central problem of moving the speech, articulators or larynx, in the right way." - Dr. Per Alm

ABOUT THE HOST

Uri Schneider, M.A. CCC -SLP is co-founder and leader at Schneider Speech; creator and host of Transcending Stuttering; and faculty at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.

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