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From: Mark Bulger
Date: 02 Oct 2011
Time: 21:39:30 -0500
Remote Name: 72.93.189.36
I have to question much of the basis of this concept, which seems so appealing to many people. 1. "Some people who stutter can effectively mask the symptoms of their stuttering so that others don't detect that anything is different about their speech." - What does this tell you? It tells me that such people CAN mask their symptoms. ALL stutterers would like to mask their symptoms. So 'covert' stutterers are simply mild stutterers who can carry it off. 2. "So the PWSC develops ways of hiding their stuttering by changing words, taking pauses, ending utterances prematurely, or not speaking at all, in order that others not know they stutter." - Sounds like garden variety stuttering behavior to me. 3. "Stuttering is a problem that has outward symptoms (blocks, repetitions, and prolongations of sounds and body movements that accompany the speech symptoms) and inward symptoms (feelings, beliefs and emotions which relate to the speech differences)." - This is confounding the condition - a speech disorder - with the subjective response to the condition. The two are fundamentally different - although most stutterers are affected psychologically by their condition, stuttering is not a psychological disorder. 4. "Covert stuttering is a form of stuttering in which the person goes to extraordinary lengths to conceal any visible or detectable components of their stuttering..." - Again, virtually ALL stutterers go through extraordinary lengths to avoid stuttering. Those who express stuttering behaviors openly simply fail. 5. The five bullet points under "Being "covert" is..." heading would fit for ANY stutterers. ************** I'll leave the treatment recommendations to those with experience in these matters.