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From: Ed Feuer
Date: 10/3/03
Time: 9:00:44 PM
Remote Name: 142.161.190.166
Howie, While I'm all for educating the public, I think that the pseudo-stuttering assignment itself is more important for the students. My impression is, however, that it is not being handled properly in communications disorders departments across the continent.
Rather that the hit and miss, token and copout affair it often can be, I urge that fluency profs make it a major part of the course with the aim of teaching systematic desensitization.
Now the topic of the pseudo-stuttering assignments comes up regularly on the stuttering listservs such as Stutt-l and Stutt-x. I think I have heard just about every flimsy excuse under the sun on the part of the students why they shouldn't be doing it. What they don't realize however is that they are exhibiting avoidance, something we who stutter know a lot about.
Although they still know little about stuttering, they have already absorbed society's view of the problem expressed in the conversational useage of the terms stuttering or stammering to indicate some variant of shame, failure or incompetence. That's not how they want to be seen, even for a temporary "just pretend."
Therefore what they need is genuine and thorough systematic desensitization to stuttering. Help them devise a heirarchy to experience such desensitization. If and when they ever have stuttering clients, they will, at least, understand the importance of helping their clients create such a genuine and thorough desensitzation heirarchy.