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From: Charlie Healey
Date: 09 Oct 2007
Time: 13:31:31 -0500
Remote Name: 129.93.99.57
First, you can get more information on the CALMS model by going to my website at www.unl.edu/fluency/clinician.shtml and at the bottom of the clinician page is a list of publications and presentations. Look for the one that says a multidimensional approach to treating stuttering. You can download the pdf file of the article I wrote in 2004. Your next question is great and one that many people ask. Here is my take on this apparent conflict in advice. When we say it's okay to stutter, what we are conveying to the client that he should not feel bad or ashamed about the fact that his speech is disfluent. Stuttering doesn't make the child a bad person, it just means the way he talks is different from others. So, in that sense, it is okay to stutter because your speech doesn't define who the child is. So, even though it's okay to stutter, we can say to the child that there are ways to help you stutter less or in an easier way (less bumpy). Some ways are to easy into the word at the beginning of your utterance, speak a little slower by emphasizing keeping your voice on, or start you word with a little airflow or voicing (easy onset). These techniques can help reduce stuttering or create fluency but they won't be effective all the time without considerable work. Being comfortable with stuttering and not being afraid to stutter but trying a slightly new way to manage stuttering when it occurs is the main message behind it's okay to stutter but let's also teach you some techniques to help you talk in an easier way. I think if you explain this way, the advice we are giving won't sound like we are contradicting ourselves.