Stuttering Therapy Based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abstract

Stuttering is a speech fluency disorder affecting one percent of the population. It is important to achieve self-actualization in school-age children and adolescents who stutter. Maslow's hierarchy of needs, in ascending order, consists of physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up. To satisfy safety needs, we prevent stuttering-related teasing and bullying. To satisfy love and belonging needs, we improve fluency and alleviate fear and avoidance caused by stuttering. To satisfy esteem needs, we ask reasonable accommodations in school and workplace. This article showed a Japanese approach to stuttering based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs.