[ Contents | Search | Post | Reply | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: Peter Reitzes
Date: 09 Oct 2009
Time: 10:18:58 -0500
Remote Name: 165.155.192.75
Ari, great points. I love the example you gave about the basketball game. However, it has been my experience that to handle my speech in challenging situations, I had to focus on making myself practice speech tools in high stress speaking situations. Many people who stutter don’t want to focus on how we talk, we want to focus on what we say. I think there is room for both if the speaker decides both are important. Many have pointed out that when people who stutter are stuttering we often find this to be the most challenging time to use our speaking strategies. This is why I often suggest that practicing speech tools during the hardest situations can be very beneficial (as well as very challenging). I can’t stress enough that a tool such as pausing, in my opinion, should be used within a larger realm or arsenal of strategies to deal with stuttering. For example, a few years back I worked with someone who was using pausing alongside of voluntary stuttering, pull-outs and breathing strategies as well as talking openly to others about his stuttering. I had some concerns about the breathing strategies aspect, but the client found such strategies helpful so he used them. Thanks for writing Ari.