Spring 2015

The Kings Speech Project

I.

Include a speech sample from his first conversation with the

speech therapist.
X Waiting for me to X commence a conversation one can w-ait a
rather long wait. 3/20
X Timing isnt my strong suit. 1/7
N-o thank you. 1/3
Arent you going to start treating me Dr. Logue? 0/12
I I X prefer doctor. 1/5
Your royal highness and and sir after that. 0/9 (acceptable rep.)
Prince albert X Frederick Arthur X George. 2/8
Only my family uses that. 0/8
If- we were equals I wouldnt X be here Id be X home with my wife
and no one would X give a damn. 4/23
Im sorry. 0/2
My physician says it relaxes th-th-the throat. 1/11
Theyve all been knighted. 0/5
W-hat On earth do you mean Im not X here to discuss personal
matters. 2/17
Because I bloody well stammer. 0/8
One of m-my many faults. 1/6
Ive always b-been this way. 1/6
Dont X tell me its my stammer. 1/7
X Four or five. 1/3
So Ive X b-been told. 1/4
I I cant remember not doing it. 1/9
Dont be ridiculous. 0/6
Sstop calling me that. 1/5
Than we shant speak. 0/4
Are you charging for this doctor. 0/8

No X of course not. 1/4

I I dont know. 1/3
I dont I dont k-care. 2/3
I I stammer. 1/3
X no one can fix it. 1/5
And if I win. 0/4
One usually XX wages money. 1/7
I dont X k-carry money. 1/6
If there is a next time. 0/6
Uh, I I cant read this. 1/5
TXtXto be or not to be that X. 2/7
There cant read. 0/3
Youre playing music. 0/5
So how can I hear what Im saying. 0/9
Youre not w-ell acquainted with royal princes are you. 1/13
Hopeless hopeless. 0/4
I have no idea X w-hat an Australian might do for X that sort of
money. 2/18
No. 0/1
Thank you doctor I dont X feel this is for me. 1/11
Thank you for your time. 0/5
Bye. 0/1
Number of syllables: 319
Number of errors: 37
SI- 37/319- 11.6%

II.

Identify the frequency and types of errors.

Prolongation Block
5

III.

17

Syllable
Rep.
9

Phrase
Rep.
1

Cluster
5

Discuss his core and secondary behaviors present.

The Kings core behaviors include blocks, prolongations,

and repetitions. He exhibited some secondary behaviors as well.
When the King was in a stuttering moment, he displayed
excessive tension in the jaw and neck area. His jaw would often
twitch during the moment of stuttering. He would often tilt his
head down and forward almost as a way to propel him out of the
block. On some occasions, he would close his eyes during the
moment of stuttering.
IV.

Discuss possible causes and contributing factors to his

stuttering.
One of the predisposing factors of the Kings stutter is the
fact that he is a male and males are more likely than females to
stutter. Some of the precipitating factors include the type of
environment that the King was born into. This was a very highpressure environment that contains a life that was under
constant scrutiny. The King also mentioned that he initially
utilized his left hand, but was forced to use his right hand.
During learning periods, this may have been a precipitating
factor to induce the stutter. He also alluded to the fact that he
wasnt fed when he was younger and that this led to stomach
problems. If he was lacking the proper nutrition, this could have
led to delays in development, which could have also affected the
stutter. Another precipitating factor involving the environment
was when the King mentioned that his brother died when he was
a child. This could have negatively impacted the King emotionally
and led to a more negative environment.
There were multiple perpetuating factors identified within
this movie. The King lived in a very high-pressure environment
where everything he said or did is constantly being evaluated. On
top of the pressure from the position he held, he also inherited a
ton of pressure from his family. His father expressed very
negative emotions towards the Kings stutter. He even said
something along the lines of, face it like any man would do.
This likely led to feelings of incompetence within the King and
helped to develop those negative feelings and attitudes. He also
said things such as, get it out boy, just take your time, form

your words carefully, and relax. These types of comments

throughout the Kings life likely perpetuated the stutter and
helped clue the clinician in to the idea that the family likely did
not understand the Kings stutter. His father also raised his voice
when the King was experiencing disfluent moments. The King
also mentioned that he had been teased throughout his life and
that his father actually encouraged the teasing. He said that his
brother mocked him continuously. The Kings position of running
the country was also a perpetuating factor, not only the fact that
he held the position, but especially at the time he did. These were
very stressful times for the country and he was looked at as a
solution to the problems of war for the people. This was even
more added pressure and another perpetuating factor.
V.

Discuss emotional issues involved.

There are various and deep-rooted emotional issues involved
with the King. He exhibited a lot of anger toward his stutter. This
is likely due to the fact that he had been teased and ridiculed for
it throughout his life. He also showed incredible embarrassment
when he stutters. This is highlighted by the excessive tension and
the negativity he felt toward himself. The King lacked selfconfidence in himself because of his disfluencies. He had a
moment where he felt inadequate about himself and his role as
the king. These feelings and attitudes toward himself and his
stutter are likely due to the negative reactions and pressure he
has received from his family. The King was very closed off about
his personal life. This could be due to the position he held in
society, seeing as his every move was constantly under scrutiny,
or it could be a combination of that and the feelings of
embarrassment and shame he felt. When speaking to his father,
he often seemed as if he felt guilty for his stutter and that he was
letting him down and not living up to the expectations placed on
him. He exhibited significant anxiety about speaking to others
and being under the eye of the public.
VI.

Discuss situations where he is more and less fluent.

The King exhibited different levels of fluency based on his

different speaking situations. He tended to be more fluent on
utterances when he was being sarcastic. During a conversation
in the car with his brother, he was much more fluent. There was
a decrease in his disfluencies when he utilized the techniques of
masking, singing, and when he cursed. Some of the instances
that negatively impacted his disfluency were when he was
speaking to the public or on the radio broadcasts. These
situations brought about more pressure, due to the fact that he
was speaking to an entire country. He also tended to be less
fluent when he was nervous or apprehensive about the setting in
which he was speaking and when anticipating an impending
disfluency. The King tended to be more disfluent when he was
speaking about personal matters or when he was speaking to an
individual of power (e.g., Archbishop, Prime Minister). Sometimes
when he showed extreme emotion in the form of anger, he was
less fluent. However, there were other times when his angry
outbursts were more fluent. He mentioned at one point that the
sound /p/ always gave him trouble. Overall, the King tended to
be less fluent in situations where he felt uncomfortable and like
he was under scrutiny.
VII. Discuss whether his stuttering was indeed a handicap for
him why or why not.
While there are definitely many negative feelings and
attitudes toward himself due to his stutter, I do not feel that the
King allowed his stutter to be a handicap. There were many
situations that the King could have backed down from due to the
fear of stuttering in front of people, but he participated in these
situations anyway. This might not be completely due to his
choice to face it head on, but may be partially due to the
requirements of him due to his position in society. Regardless,
the King could have found ways to excuse himself and not give
those speeches, but he did anyway. One part where this became
clear was when his daughters asked him to tell them a bedtime
story. At first, he requested to do something he felt more
comfortable with, but when they persisted he did it anyway. In

this instance, he could have easily told his daughters no, or done
something else because he wanted them to refrain from seeing
him stutter, but he didnt. Instead, he told the story anyway,
regardless of the stutter. While he did show doubts about his
ability to take on the role of king and even suggested he was
relieved when his brother accepted this position, he still did not
back down when it was passed to him. Again, in this extreme of a
case, there was not much choice for him, but he accepted this
role despite his doubts about himself.
VIII. Discuss the various treatment methods used. Explain if
these methods are or are not used today.
There were various treatment methods utilized throughout
the movie. One of these methods was a form of masking. The
speech therapist had the King put on headphones with
background music playing while the King read. The music
masked the Kings ability to hear himself speak and this resulted
in fluent productions. This method is still used today, however it
is only a temporary fix. The effect often wears off over time as the
brain adjusts. Another technique that was utilized was relaxation
and breathing techniques. The speech therapist had the King
focus on diaphragmatic breathing. This technique is still utilized
as well, although maybe not in the exact same way (i.e., someone
sitting on the diaphragm).
The speech therapist also encouraged the King to practice
tongue twisters to increase his fluency. I do not believe that this
technique is still utilized. The King was instructed to utilize
singing to increase his fluency. A form of this is still utilized. This
technique could still be introduced to gain confidence and then
slowly weaned out. While the flow and easy onsets of singing are
helpful techniques, singing all utterances is not practical in the
real world. It can still be helpful to encourage reduced tension
though. Lionel mentioned utilizing tongue strengthening
techniques. These are not still utilized.
Another technique that was utilized was chunking larger
sentences into smaller portions. This was noted on the Kings
speech at the end of the movie. There were lines drawn as to

where he should insert pauses. The speech therapist even

suggested that these pauses would make him sound more
solemn, which is a method that is still used today. Dr. Logue
introduced kinaesthetic aspects of therapy. For instance, he
instructed the King to remain in motion by dancing to encourage
flow of speech. He also had him rock on his heels to get through
a moment of stuttering. In my opinion, these would not be
utilized today for fear of them turning into more permanent
secondary behaviors.
IX.

If you were to provide treatment to the King, what methods

would you use?
If I were providing treatment to the King, I would implement
both fluency shaping and modification techniques. I would use
both types of treatment techniques because the King showed
high awareness of his stutter as well as negative feelings and
attitudes. Seeing as the King has an Advanced Stutterer, he will
likey not become spontaneously fluent. In this case, he will need
modification techniques to help him in the moments of
stuttering. One of the treatment techniques I would utilize would
be easy onset. Due to his extreme tension in the neck and jaw
when in a stuttering moment, I would encourage the King to try
easy onset methods. This would aim to reduce some of the
tension and ease him into his utterances. I would also use the
method of chunking like they did in the movie. Inserting
thoughtful pauses helped the King with his fluency and made
him sound thoughtful, which is almost desired in a position of
power in my opinion.
Another technique I would work on with the King would be
easy stuttering. This would assist the King in controlling what
type of stutter he is exhibiting. He will be encouraged to use
easier stutters that are less severe. For example, he may use a
prolongation instead of a block. The King would also likely benefit
from relaxation techniques in the form of breathing exercises,
visualizations, etc. I would also have the King work toward pullouts to assist him in completing the word when he is in the
middle of the stuttering moment. In order to do this, we would

first need to work on cancellations. One of the main things I

would work on with the King is desensitization and reducing his
negative feelings and attitudes. At this point in the Kings life, the
anxiety and fear he is experiencing is the most hindrance to him,
so these factors need to be addressed.