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From: Vince Vawter
Date: 07 Oct 2011
Time: 17:07:58 -0500
Remote Name: 67.187.126.12
Two excellent and valid questions, Rebecca. I will answer in some detail. 1. In 1985 I attended the intensive fluency shaping program at Hollins Communications Research Institute in Roanoke, VA. I was 39 years old and had never experienced fluency except with that horrendous device called the Edinburgh Masker. At the end of the three weeks (7-days a week, 15-hours a day) I was able to experience what fluency felt like. I don't know if you are aware of the program, but it involves 2-second syllables, amplitude contour, gentle onsets, proper breathing and other speech "targets." For the first time I felt what it was like to say any word I wanted without fear of blocks, repetitions, starters or cluttering. I noticed at the end of the three weeks that my face, jaw and neck muscles were actually aching. I was literally using muscles I didn't know I had. In a cathartic moment it came to me that there was nothing psychologically wrong with me, that my stutter was simply a case of improperly learned muscle movements and speech mechanics. But, speaking is easy, some might say. And I say, swinging a golf club is o easy too. So why aren't you making millions on the PGA tour? (I'm told there is more fine-motor muscle movement in speech than there is in a golf swing.) Even though I struggle with transfer from the clinic to the real world, I have always prized those first feelings of fluency. I guarantee that if I went back to Hollins, I essentially would be fluent again after a few "target" practices. (Some of the therapists joke that there must be something in the water!) It is my fault that I choose to live my life stuttering rather than spend the time I should on targets. NOTE: I'm certain I will be asked if I would recommend the Hollins program and I say "yes." My only complaint is that they didn't spend enough time on transfer, but I'm told that has changed in the decades since I was there., 2. In 1998 I heard a doctor lecture on Attention Deficit Disorder at a civic club luncheon. He listed some of the symptoms and I felt like he was describing my childhood. I was 52 when I heard the doctor. I began to wonder if the reason I didn't do well in my first therapy sessions at age 14 and then at age 39 was due to the fact I couldn't stay focused. I began drug therapy for ADD with the doctor and, almost as an experiment, I started practicing my Hollins speech targets in earnest. I felt fluency again -- in spades! Anytime I had to make a speech to a large group or speak in any formal setting, I would be sure to practice my targets and take my meds. Please be clear in what I'm saying. I don't contend that ADD or ADHD causes stuttering. I maintain that someone who is afflicted with the disorder will have a harder time overcoming a stutter. I can hear the questions coming now. "OK, Mr. Smarty Pants, since you know so much about what causes stuttering and how to overcome it, why do you still stutter?" It's my choice. I had rather write my novels, bounce around on my tractor or play with my grandchildren rather that work on boring speech targets. If I have to give a formal speech, you will find me "cramming," but I'm just lazy most of the time. And enjoying every minute of it. The comfort comes from the "freedom" (David Shapiro's word) I have gained over my stutter.