Helping tomorrow's therapists gain a greater insight into stuttering

[ Contents | Search | Post | Reply | Next | Previous | Up ]


Re: I welcome your feedback

From: Dick Mallard
Date: 04 Oct 2010
Time: 08:58:51 -0500
Remote Name: 70.115.247.185

Comments

Alan, I could not agree more that treatment that involves changing the way we talk is only a small part of the entire process. I was asked by a newspaper reporter one time what was the most significant thing in my life that helped me "overcome" stuttering. After thinking for a moment, I responded that my parents making me take ballroom dancing (which was really social skills training for adolescents) in junior high school and then forcing me to have proper manners in all social situations were the two factors that led to my eventual success with stuttering therapy. Not only did I learn how to interact with adults properly but I also learned how to deal with difficult social situations brought on my teasing peers. I might add that I traveled with my uncle as a boy. He was a sales person whose territory was Texas and several surrounding states. Before we would go into a business he always reviewed with me how to "shake hands like you mean it, look people in the eye when you talk to them, and speak loud enough so they can hear you." He did not know at the time, nor did I, that all that instruction and practice, regardless of my stuttering, were the foundation blocks for developing confidence in myself that I could manage despite the fact that I stuttered. Therefore, at 22 when I did receive formal speech therapy, I was able to make the changes I needed to make because I had the confidence and past experience to deal with the communication environment. I believe that developing appropriate social skills is of equal or in some cases more valuable than speech therapy for people who stutter. Thanks for allowing me to recall and share all the wonderful past memories and lessons from a caring family.


Last changed: 10/04/10