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From: Mary Brooks
Date: 02 Oct 2004
Time: 16:32:13 -0500
Remote Name: 172.150.151.70
Hi, I am a graduate student in speech-language pathology at West Virginia University. Your paper provides a lot of good information about the role of the SLP in counseling parents of young stutterers. I believe that counseling is a crucial part of our job as a professional. Each and every family will present a unique situation and it requires us as professionals to be prepared to provide appropriate information, listen, and learn from them as well. Parents are the true experts about their child. They are able to give us insightful and useful information that we would of otherwise not known about their child. This critical information can assist us in providing their child with more thorough and effective stuttering treatment. For example, parents can provide information on ways to make therapy fun for their child while still meeting the goals or they may tell us things that the child may like (stickers, games, etc.) that can be used as reinforcers. Parents play a key role in their child's progress. They are who the child spends the most time with every day. We as SLP's need to listen carefully to their story as they express their concerns and fears regarding their child's stuttering. We need to reassure them that it is nothing that they have done to cause their child to stutter and provide the necessary information that they need to begin the healing process. I also think it is great that you included a group session for parents of children who stutter. I think that this gives parents the opportunity to talk to other individuals who are experiencing the same thing, which allows them to see that they are not alone. They also may share useful information about their family's personal experiences with stuttering that will help another family cope with their child's stuttering. Overall, I enjoyed reading your paper. Counseling is a very important part of a SLP's job and must not be overlooked. Thanks!