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From: Liza Baldini, Graduate Clinican
Date: 15 Oct 2011
Time: 19:33:11 -0500
Remote Name: 72.65.193.168
Dr. Rentschler, I thought your article regarding covert stuttering was very enlightening. This is an area of stuttering that many people seem to forget, or don't focus on enough. In my Advanced Stuttering course at West Virginia University, we learned about the overt and covert symptoms of stuttering. To me, the covert feelings of shame and guilt were just as problematic as the actual overt symptoms. Personally, I feel PWSC are doing themselves more of an injustice than if they would stutter. I feel this way because PWSC are living in constant fear of stuttering, instead of accepting it. Besides, it is important to realize that no one is perfectly fluent, we all get nervous sometimes! I once talked to a stutterer that told me, the moment he accepted his stutter, was the moment he could be who he truly was. You are certainly right about the importance of starting out with desensitization when working with PWSC. Do you feel this is the most important step in fluency training, regardless if the person is an overt or covert stutterer?