Understanding Stuttering as a Gift

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Coming to an understanding

From: April Wright
Date: 07 Oct 2008
Time: 13:59:31 -0500
Remote Name: 74.76.114.200

Comments

I am currently a graduate student in a Communication Sciences and Disorders program. Until taking my fluency class this semester I had not considered many of the perspectives, feelings, and emotions that accompany a person who stutters. As a clinician, my first thoughts are often, how can I help this person or more specifically, in the case of stuttering, how can I help him/her become fluent? As I learn more about stuttering and it's affective components, and after reading your article, I realize that for many people who stutter, simply becoming fluent is the smallest obstacle to overcome. The premise of your article is coming to understand stuttering as a gift and embracing the trials that you endured due to your stuttering. Have you found, in your clinical experience, that some children and adults are unwilling to focus on feelings and experiences associated with stuttering? That they simply want to get rid of their stuttering and believe that all other problems will dissolve after this? If so, what is your next step as a therapist? Do you just focus on fluency shaping techniques and hope that they come around?


Last changed: 10/07/08