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From: Russ Hicks
Date: 03 Oct 2008
Time: 14:57:20 -0500
Remote Name: 70.104.19.41
Hey Mario! Good to hear from you! .... You've hit the nail right on the head - whatever works! The trick is to somehow get student SLPs and people who stutter together so they can learn from one another. As you said, both sides tend to be a little shy at first (which is the inherent nature of both students and stutterers), so we have to be creative in our attempts to get these people together. If your approach works, wonderful! Jan's program works for us because it lets both sides have FUN getting to know one another. The more fun people have, the more each side will learn. It's absolutely critical that future SLPs learn to treat people who stutter as PEOPLE rather than as VOICE BOXES. With the understanding that comes from the stuttering iceberg, it's clear that stuttering is a WHOLE PERSON problem, not just a fluency problem. And getting to know the whole person is the trick to successful stuttering therapy. .... And as people who stutter like you and me, it's our responsibility to help teach these wonderful students - the SLPs for our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren - how to most effectively treat us. I wish there were more of us, because the gating item in almost all these approaches is the willing availability of people who stutter. .... Hope to see you at a conference again sometime Mario! Thanks for your comments! .... Russ