[ Contents | Search | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: Ora McCreary
Date: 19 Oct 2011
Time: 03:31:47 -0500
Remote Name: 98.14.253.211
Some therapy programs advertise their programs with a claim to "stop stuttering" - we all can recogize the style: colorful text, long inspiring stories or helping a child reach his potential, promises to teach simple effective techniquest that will lead you to stop stuttering for good! All through purchase of a $97 or $67 book will stop your stutter so good. Some such sites are apparently so successful that they clone themelves, with changes. (Instead of "my neighbor's son Zack" had a stutter which he cured, the clone sites will say "my business partner had a young nephew who" etc. I suspect we all share an opinion that such books are largely worthless, and are not ethical. By contrast, there are other cases of speech therapist organizations or groups or programs which seem legitimate and well-intentioned and professional, using perhaps widespread programs such as Lidcomb and Camperdown, but which still use phrases "stop your stutter" in the website of their advertising materials. Here's the issue I'm posing. We all know that a claim to "stop you stuttering" is far-fetched. Most programs do not "stop your stutter", while offering the still-legitimate goals of reducing speech anxiety, dealing better with themselves as stutterers, and finding lasting techniques that will help reduce their stuttering, and generally make themselves more effective in the world. These are laudable goals, and they are achievable, while "stop your stutter" is not. So my question: Is it legitimate for a legitimate professional speech therapy program to use the "stop your stutter" claim in their advertising and promotion, in light of the fact that "stop your stuttering" is an achievable goal for only a small proportion of real people?