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From: Klaas Bakker, Missouri State University, Springfield MO, USA
Date: 25 Apr 2010
Time: 09:13:35 -0500
Remote Name: 173.22.193.98
I strongly support Chris' suggestions. As Webmaster for the ICA I believe there is a great opportunity for the ICA through the website to reach out to individuals in countries where culturally there hasn't been an opportunity to develop recognition for clutttering, means for people who clutter to get help. How to get such awareness started I believe should be a multi-pronged process. Professionals in communication disorders are likely to get information about cluttering through education, or professional literature. Expanding recognition in fluency disorders coursework is one important way to initiate or stimulate further awareness. Furthermore, at professional gatherings information about cluttering could be shared through brochures (like those made available by the ICA) or scientific or clinical presentation to specialists in fluency disorders. People who clutter themselves could initiate this awareness by being open and outspoken about the problem, and finding others who express the same experiences. Traditionally, in western countries the recognition and awareness of cluttering has been closely associated with organizations for stuttering, as cluttering is likely to be misdiagnozed as stuttering, and in fact may co-exist with stuttering in the same individuals. The ICA is actively looking for ways to engage people in other countries, especially those where cluttering is not recognized. This of course runs into the limitation of finding people that already have awareness of cluttering and an interest in it enough to participate in this work.