Viren (Mumbai) has attracted TISA's attention to a group in Mumbai, offering cure from stammering. TISA checked the facebook page and other related pages. We left response at the facebook discussion page and also at stutt-L. We are sharing all this for the readers to make their own opinion.

Chris, another reader questioned the core assumptions of Spasht at the discussion page:

"Most of people who have stammering problem have developed it because of an event and not due to any physical disorder or by birth."   Can you scientifically back this up?

TISA wrote, at the same page:

I agree with Chris Luinge. Many children suffer all kind of fearful events in childhood. Many more people should have been stammering, by this assumption. But in different countries number of PWS is found to be just 1-2 % only. Why? Obviously, the author (Spasht) ignores the vast body of current knowledge available which indicates that the cause of stammering is Neuro-biological which is inherited in many cases through genes, which have been identified recently.
The group is assuming that 'what has worked for my stammering will work for others too' - This is not supported by science and SLP practice. Perhaps intentions are good but the means are questionable. "Cure" is a questionable word in this context and has misled many young PWS all their lives. A better goal would be: accept stammering and work on communication skills (as opposed to chasing fluency and cure).
Anyway, I wish them all the success..
sachin (TISA)

Chris wrote again:

Exactly. Ofcourse your (Spasht) intentions are good, but I think it's good to be aware that although this has worked for you there is absolutely no proof it will work for all the other people who stutter as well. Especially since there are indeed very reasonable indications for a neuro-biological origin. It is good to help, but I know too many people that stutter that have thrown themselves unto another promised cure with absolutely no solid background and then feel let down or even blame themselves when it doesn't cure them.
Perhaps there are people who stutter that can be 'cured', especially people where the neuro-biological component is a minor one, but for most people I agree with Satyendra: accept your stuttering and work on things you actually can get a grip on is a much more fruitful solution.

There were no replies. In the meantime Viren (Mumbai) made inquiries about payment and he was told: We (Spasht) are thinking about charging a fee... Here are some truly unbelievable quotes from the news paper item attached in the chat group by Spasht:

The reason why people stammer is that they run out of breath. Hence in the speech therapy we focus on synchronizing breathing with speech..
Elsewhere, “I was five when I started stammering. To me, it was fear induced. It so happened that my teacher scolded one of my friends and I got scared. And from that very day I started stammering...”

Further on, the article says, that the head of this group will be counseling others and conducting seminars to promote awareness. The techniques listed on their blog page, are too general and could apply to anything from Anxiety Neurosis to spider bite, except “Pronouncing of words” and “speaking in lengthening style”. What about Pausing, Gentle onsets, bouncing, eye contact? What about cognitive and affective aspect of recovery? What about on-going support? Linguistic, social & cognitive skills? There is no mention about role of genetics and 90% of the ice-berg? It appears that the group plans to deal with all that through “positive thinking”- the much used and abused concept. What they mean is: dont accept that you stammer. Think positively all the time.. This is what many stammerers have done unaided, year after year, with totally unsatisfactory results.

If positive thinking alone could help, 41% Indians would not be surviving on less than Rs 21.6 a day. They would have simply wished their problems away through positive affirmations! Positive thinking which is based on fear of stammering and people's reaction to it, is no positive thinking. It is escapist thinking. You cant get too far with such denial and escapism. Secondly, positive thinking should lead to positive actions and positive actions should be based on well researched facts, not on what 'I think or guess may have helped me..'. Let us give stammering its due by treating it seriously- it is a complex problem. It affects people for many many years. It destroys people's initiative, courage, grit, self-respect and objectivity. They will drink even the Chinese water (link) to get “cured”.

The need of the hour is to – promote self help; make people understand that stammering has no “cure” (as for Malaria etc.), that only way forward is to develop communication skills in self help groups, facilitated by experienced PWS and learn well rounded approaches to comprehensive stammering management for FREE, from them and other sources. Let this field be full of light, awareness, objective knowledge rather than narrow prescriptions promoted by commercial interests.