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From: Peter Reitzes
Date: 11 Oct 2010
Time: 17:03:31 -0500
Remote Name: 76.15.239.95
Lauren, thanks for your kind words about my paper. You ask, “As a SLP student classes that I have taken about stuttering or even chapters in my textbooks about stutter have all used the term ‘Fluency Disorder.’ Because of this do you find the ‘Fluency Challenge’ to be very difficult for many Speech Language Pathologists who work with people who stutter?” It would be impossible for me to say with any certainty what effect the term “fluency” has had on the field. Perhaps this is a good time to mention that most of the speech-language pathologists (SLPs) I know do not appear comfortable with their ability to work with people who stutter. Many SLPs in the schools have approached me and expressed that they know very little about stuttering and stuttering treatment. It is perhaps because of this lack of knowledge and experience with stuttering that many are uncomfortable talking about stuttering and exploring stuttering. It is also my experience that many do not understand why it is important to talk about stuttering. My guess is that if fluency was to disappear or go out of vogue other terms would replace it. For example, I have worked with some clients who talk about wanting to “control” their speech. When we explore this word it is sometimes the case that it is being used to mean “the absence of stuttering.”