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From: Lorna Hrbolich
Date: 10/17/03
Time: 9:06:43 PM
Remote Name: 141.209.40.87
Hi Terry,
I am a first year SLP graduate student. I am currently enrolled in a fluency course at Central Michigan University in the United States. During one lecture, our professor had 3 individuals who stutter talk to the class. It was very interesting that 2 of these speakers are brothers - one is a PWS, and his brother has been covert (he is currently working on becoming more "overt"). It was my first exposure to covert suttering. One of the questions posed to the brother who doesn't stutter overtly was "Why change?". He described how exhausting it was to be "covert", and how it limited what he communicated to others. You mentioned how many covert stutterers do not want to "declare their status" and that..."if we can avoid publicly stammering, regardless of the turmoil within, why shouldn't we do so?" I guess I am wondering about the "turmoil within" - do you think it is more difficult to deal with the turmoil within or the reaction of others? Were you relieved once you shared this information to some people in your life? Has it changed how you react/feel when around these individuals and do you plan to tell others? I guess the bottom line of these questions is...do you feel the pros outweigh the cons in sharing this information with others?
Sincerely,
Lorna Hrbolich