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From: Judy
Date: 21 Oct 2009
Time: 05:49:22 -0500
Remote Name: 74.104.112.9
Kristine, Excellent point! You know, I don't think I ever know for sure when a person who stutters is avoiding specific words. That is a private event that I only glimpse when he begins to say a word and then changes it. You raise the issue of private vs public events. Sometimes children share what is going on inside their heads and what they are physically feeling related to the stuttered moment. Sometimes they don't. I suspect that 1. given time contraints of a speech therapy session, 2. the "goals" that need to be accomplished so that everyone feels good about themselves, 3. the SLP may be viewed as an authority figure, we may not know the half of what a client is truly experiencing. And so, I tell the client that his point of view is most important. So what kind of feedback does the SLP provide? With Audacity, we have concrete feedback regarding voice production. But, as the SLP, I emphasize that the student is the scientist. I note how the student made changes in voice production and how this changed the waveform - "Look what you did! You made this change! Try this kind of change. What other kind of changes can you make in how you use your voice?" Empowerment is key. The child must feel a sense of power over his own speech. I hope this empowerment helps the client find the courage to confront feared sounds and words. Thank you for raising this important issue. Judy