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From: Alinga M. Fisher Southern University,Baton Rouge
Date: 21 Oct 2010
Time: 15:25:37 -0500
Remote Name: 72.207.220.98
As a former undergraduate student in Speech-Language Pathology, I agree with Mr.McClure when he noted that speech therapists have little training. I remember bits of a class that focused on stuttering. It was interesting to find out important facts about stuttering, PWS, and even some celebrities who stuttered. I recall my teacher assigning an activity that included calling a take-out restaurant or going to a store to purposely stutter. We were then asked to observe the persons reaction. I must say, that I remember a few looks of pity when I was face-to-face with a person. I did not experience impatience, although I am sure that I would have eventually. However, although the class was informative, and the assignment eye-opening, it in no way prepared me for providing therapy for a PWS. Of course, my very first client was a PWS. As Mr. McClure states in his article, the issues of social stigmas, emotional baggage, and the denial of some PWS,was presented as a factor in their daily lives. Knowing this, I was sensitive to the emotional needs of my client. Since my course only touched the surface of stuttering, and even more so the treatment of stuttering, I felt ill-prepared. In clinic, I found that my client did not stutter while in therapy. I also found myself confused as to why he needed therapy, when there were no signs of dysfluency at all. I was advised to dismiss him at the end of the semester. Having said this, due to my current graduate work in "Diagnosis of Stuttering", I have learned from my professor(a person who stutters) that this sometimes occurs. She mentioned in one of our first classes that it sometimes occurs,where a client may be fluent when in certain situations. I often wonder how my former client is doing, and if the right decision was made. Thank you for such a wonderful article Mr. McClure. It was informative to me, and I am sure to many others who need to know that there is support and effective therapy out there. My wish is to be one of those who help to support and be effective to PWS, and the next time I have a client who does stutter, I will be confident in providing them the therapy that is needed.