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From: Peter Reitzes
Date: 02 Oct 2009
Time: 16:42:38 -0500
Remote Name: 96.246.61.45
Angie, thanks for the question. There is no crystal clear answer to your question. Any tool, strategy or approach has the potential to be used inappropriately. In general, clinicians need to be constantly checking in with their clients and discussing strategies and observing their clients as well. Some speech-language pathologists will say or suggest that all pausing is avoidance. I disagree with that. However, let me add that when a client tells me that he or she is avoiding, I am not critical. Avoidance is a part of stuttering for many, potentially most people who stutter and it has been my experience that many beat themselves up for how they react to stuttering. When avoidance does occur and is reported, I am not critical of it. Instead, we discuss the behavior so that the client can explore why he or she avoided and what the client may choose to do differently the next time.