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From: Doug
Date: 10/6/03
Time: 8:48:32 AM
Remote Name: 147.129.18.202
Jon, Thanks for your comment. If I understand you correctly, my answer would be 'not necessarily'. The "stuttering response" is a broad-based response pattern that involves all aspects of the communication system. The origins of fluency breakdown are multivariate and heterogeneous. For some, there could definitely be some organic disruption in the speech processes. For others, the disruption could be associated more with cognitive-linguistic difficulties - and so on. The response pattern that emerges from the core disruption, however, is very predictable given understanding of how our systems respond to temporal disruption in ongoing movement and especially the flow of communication. This is where theoreticians and clinicians could learn from and integrate information from a variety of fields, such as neuropsychology, sports psychology, etc. to help demystify the problem. In the end, regardless of the specific treatment approach taken, the client should have a good understanding of what's happening, that the response pattern they have been living with (or developing) is actually "normal" given any limitations in their communication processes, and that there are ways of maximizing their ability to communicate effectively and comfortably.
Doug