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From: Paula Wildi
Date: 12 Oct 2007
Time: 10:41:44 -0500
Remote Name: 157.182.14.161
Hello! Here is a student perspective on your question: I am a graduate student/clinician at West Virginia University, and participation in the conference is also a requirement for our stuttering class taught by Ken St. Louis. Other exercises/activities he requires we complete include: attendance of a stuttering group therapy session and interview of a PWS/former PWS/parent of a CWS. I think that both of these exercises are meaningful and can really help us as clinicians better understand the dynamics that go into stuttering from a PWS’s point of view. This is not something that is easily taught through lectures/reading, but is a fundamental component of the disorder. It can also provide some “desensitization” to the students when talking both to PWS and about stuttering in general. Another suggestion might be to require observation of at least one stuttering therapy session, or maybe one before clinical methods are taught and one after clinical methods are taught to really better understand what goes on. If your university does not have many fluency sessions, or the clients are not comfortable with being observed, perhaps an agreement with an outside clinic could be considered. Admittedly, as graduate students our time is severely limited and “extra” assignments outside of class can be seen as a burden to our already strapped schedules, but I think in the long run these activities will be appreciated. Good luck!