The Prof is In

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Re: Van Riper therapy

From: Ed Feuer
Date: 09 Oct 2011
Time: 22:20:57 -0500
Remote Name: 134.29.22.80

Comments

Dick, To me Van Riper's central idea as he stated in The Treatment of Stuttering is this: “We feel that stuttering needs a global therapy, a total push, if it is to yield to clinical intervention and that it must be attacked from every quarter and with every available weapon.” Can it be honestly claimed that anyone anywhere is doing that today? What exists out there now for the treatment of stuttering in adults? Everywhere, we see too much clinic-room fraud, token therapy, short-term quickie fixes that focus only on one element of a multi-faceted problem, distractor devices, the false hope of the pink pill; and many SLPs not qualified to treat stuttering but who claim otherwise. As I stated earlier, SLPs realized that that they couldn't do the full regimen of Van Riper therapy, that they lacked both the necessary knowledge and necessary time. My view is that if any sort of successful long-term outcome is the goal, then Van Riper's prescription finally needs to be taken seriously in practice as well as theory. And that would take a coordinated multidisciplinary treatment team. I elaborate on this in a presentation I did at the International Stuttering Association conference in Buenos Aires earlier this year. I would be very happy to e-mail you or anyone else interested a copy. edfeuer@mts.net


Last changed: 10/22/11