Some People Just Don't Get It

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Re: guys in white hats

From: Bob Quesal
Date: 10/7/02
Time: 8:32:36 AM
Remote Name: 143.43.201.67

Comments

I think the goal is to be as much like other folks as possible. As the behaviorists point out, the primary complaint that people come to therapy with is they want to get rid of stuttering. As I've said before, that is the de facto goal of therapy - we always work toward optimal fluency. I don't see anything wrong with trying to be fluent.

The problem arises when someone has reached that optimal level *for them* and it still isn't good enough for some third party (like the letter writer I quote in this ISAD essay). I think realistically we have to accept that perfect fluency will not be attained by all. As I said in an earlier reply, when that happens, some people want to blame the client or blame the therapist, but they never want to blame the treatment. Nor do they want to accept that some folks may never be able to speak with a high degree of fluency.

If we, as SLP, do not have something to help the folks who don't get highly fluent (besides "you're not trying hard enough), we are doing something terribly wrong. And you really have to question the humanity of someone who takes such a stance.

Bob Q.


Last changed: September 12, 2005