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From: Adam Presswood, Fontbonne University/St. Louis, MO
Date: 10/19/03
Time: 11:08:27 PM
Remote Name: 209.248.48.48
I am currently working with a 10 year old male fluency client. He has, or appears to have, one of the most positive self-concepts of anyone that I have ever met. In fact, there seems to be a total absence of secondary behaviors. He exhibits an inconsistent combination of repetitions, prolongations, and blocks. During the repetitions and prolongations, he does not break eye contact, which I have always interpreted as a sign of his strong character. After reading your article, however, I now realize that he closes his eyes in the middle of the blocks. I am unsure whether this is an indication that he has exceeded the threshold that you mention, or if closing his eyes is merely a tool for "busting through" the block. Since he has such a positive outlook, I am not sure that it really matters anyway. Is this something that I should ask him about? Also, if he indicates that this is, in fact, a way of avoiding eye contact, should I address this behavior as part of therapy, or does he need to retain this behavior at present to maintain his confidence? Thank you.
Adam Presswood