'The King's Speech' techniques still used

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- In the movie, "The King's Speech" the therapist helping Britain's king overcome stuttering models the therapist-client relationship, a researcher says.

Dr. Suzanne Reading, a speech-language pathologist at Butler University in Indianapolis says the movie about the speech-impaired World War II-era monarch could be a useful tool for her students to see the therapist-client relationship.

"The therapist never even told his wife that he was seeing King George VI for treatment. It showed that speech pathologists honor confidentiality for their clients," an important factor in encouraging individuals with speech disorders to seek treatment, Reading says in a statement.

The treatment techniques shown in the movie -- developed in the 1930s -- are still used today, including having clients sing and talk over background noise to achieve stutter-free speech, Reading says.

"The main technique that was portrayed and still used today is to have the person face their fear and not avoid speaking situations," Reading says.

Reading says the film has already increased awareness of speech and language disorders, and has prompted more people to seek clinical treatment.

"Like King George VI, each one must take the first step of facing their fears," Reading says.