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From: Dick Mallard
Date: 04 Oct 2009
Time: 07:39:14 -0500
Remote Name: 70.115.245.165
Katrina, thanks for writing. The "Talk Time" (TT) exercise is for the parents, not the child. The purpose is for the parents to communicate with their child in a quiet environment so they (the parents) can begin the process of learning about how their child communicates. The parents also learn how they respond to the child during stuttering. The late Lena Rustin from London, England call this a "Magic Exercise." I could not agree more. The parents write their comments, observations, and feelings after each TT and send a weekly report to me. What they learn and observe is sometimes overwhelming. In many cases they come to the proper conclusion as to what needs to be done to help their child and I have not said a word. The children enjoy the one-on-one time with each parent as well. Often they want to continue the TT after the three weeks. Under normal circumstances the parents and child negotiate how many TTs per week they do. Keep in mind that the child has to meet with the parents individually so we don't want this to become a negative experience or burden. I have noticed over the years that two to three TTs per week is what most people prefer. Finally, you would not believe the number of times parents have a difficult time finding the time to talk to their child individually two times a week for five minutes. Much insight is gained when the parents come face-to-face with their busy lives as they relate to helping their child. Lena was right. This is a "Magic Exercise" in so many ways. Good luck with your graduate work. Hope to hear from you again.