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From: Vivian Sisskin
Date: 03 Oct 2010
Time: 21:59:34 -0500
Remote Name: 96.241.144.161
Pam, Each person’s experience with voluntary stuttering is very different. It can be a great fear reducer, and depending on the form of voluntary stuttering used, it can be good motor practice for potential modifications. I find that keeping a clear rationale in mind for using voluntary stuttering is important, for example, “I am voluntary stuttering in order to show myself as a PWS”, or “to give up fluency and benefit from some of its desensitization power”. I am not sure about being a “bad” thing, but I have found that it can become a less helpful strategy when people use voluntary stuttering to “sound better”. Just like anything that is added to the speech pattern that is new/novel, it can produce some initial fluency or can mask long-standing behaviors that are maintained by fear and avoidance of stuttering (holding back, postponement, blocking). If it makes you feel good because it is producing more fluency, then it may not last… I guess it’s all about your intent. Vivian