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From: Scott Palasik PhD,CCC-SLP
Date: 19 Oct 2011
Time: 09:14:00 -0500
Remote Name: 131.95.172.29
Hi! You ask an important question. Many people who stutter have a sound or several sounds they "fear". I say "fear" because I would bet you anticipate plosive sounds coming up and then have thoughts that relate to "stuttering" on those sounds (most likely negative thoughts). I do the same thing with a few sounds like /st/ clusters, /s/, and velum sounds like /k/ and /g/. That being said, what we can do is play with the sounds in order to deconstruct and/or deflate the meaning we place on them. This starts with doing some vocal play with these sounds and words. During therapy, with any age client, we can allow the client to stutter on a word and when they finish their thought, go back and say that sound and word in a funny voice, a different accent or dialect, and even varying the pitch and volume. This "playing with sounds and words" cognitively takes us way from some of the mental fusion we have with words and negative thoughts that we created! The next step could be to address those thoughts as we approach those "feared" sounds. Asking questions like "what reasons do I have to fear this sound?" can help make us aware of some events and past times that we maybe hold on to that continue to influence our present behaviors. These are just a few thoughts on the subject of feared sounds and words. Such a great question to ask, really wonderful. Keep asking questions! With compassion and kindness, Scott