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From: Gary J. Rentschler
Date: 05 Oct 2009
Time: 13:25:51 -0500
Remote Name: 165.190.57.240
This is such a great question Jack. I'm happy to share my opinion after being an SLP (and PWS) for many years. In that time, many innovations in treating stuttering have come along. Some have showed more promise than others, but the problem still remains. My thoughts are that we need as many "answers" to stuttering as we can find. Even though we haven't found one single answer for everyone who stutters, the possibilities we've come up with have been satisfactory for many who stutter.. and I'm all for that. While I don't know that there will be a pharmacological answer to stuttering, I certainly support the experimentation to find out and learn more. If it can help one person, then it has value. I believe that an SLP needs to be pragmatic in working with stuttering and trying to find the best end result for each individual who stutters.. whether its medications, devices, traditional therapies, or whatever lies ahead in the future. If we don't continue to find new possibilities, we won't find the answer. I enjoy helping people who stutter and I don't think I'd be doing my job well if I become overly dogmatic about the approach to treatment.