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From: J Scott Yaruss, Univ of Pittsburgh
Date: 03 Oct 2011
Time: 14:24:15 -0500
Remote Name: 72.194.64.133
Thanks much Ari! I'll add one point, too - while it's true that we are not psychologists, treating the adverse impact of stuttering (including negative emotional reactions) is definitely within the scope of practice of speech-language pathologists. Therefore, we MUST address these if we are to be consistent with our purpose in the field. Surprisingly, this is a point of contention amongst some of our colleagues, but, to put it simply, I feel that you can't treat stuttering effectively if you don't address the entire condition. I think the research supports that. And, that means that we must use some of the same tools as psychologists. That doesn't make us psychologists any more than my using a hammer makes me a carpenter. But, if I want to put some nails in a piece of wood, I'll be much more effective if I use a hammer. Often, when I put it that way, clinicians see that we can do this (provided we're adequately trained, though as one of the other posts pointed out, we're not always adequately trained). So much to do...but understanding the true nature of the condition is the first step... Nice to correspond with you, as always. Take care, Scott