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From: Retz
Date: 16 Oct 2004
Time: 23:40:44 -0500
Remote Name: 206.40.121.118
Darrell...I understand what your position is regarding my initial response. I just want to make this clear...I do agree with your observation that those who have engaged in these types of therapies over the couse of the past 60 years that center on the techniques you advocate for regarding more research in "don't talk about it"...They don't talk. They choose silence. There is no research I am aware of that supports that any of these techniques or approaches lead to natural speech. At best, they lead to "Fluent Trained/Fluent Shaped or Stuttering Modified Speech"... Mostly they lead to chosen silence. Want to be Fluent if you stutter? Don't talk... silence is the "cure". Many of the presenters at the last SID 4 spoke of techniques leading to "cures".... I am aware of large #'s of adults and children who stutter that have engaged in these types of therapy approaches and have chosen not to talk. To me, it is a waste of time and effort on the part of the CWS/TWS and their parents to engage in any of this stuff. Our field is in dire need of more effective and meaningful research leading to approaches that help CWS/TWS talk more...Not stutter less or control of stuttering. That's easy to do. Just close your mouth. Been there---Done that. Members of the Self-Help organizations recognize this. When you focus on how a child/teen speaks VS what their message is, it is , without a doubt in my mind, risking the ultimate stuttering behavior---SILENCE. If an adult who stutters chooses to engage in the therapies you advocate for, I'm ok with that....Adults have the right to make there own choices and receive the outcome of whatever therapy they choose. But to suggest/imply to a parent of a CWS/TWS that if they use these therapy approaches advocated for in your paper that the result will be achievement of greater "fluency" and move on in life successfully is wrong, I believe. Would you risk silence with your own child? ....and yet many professionals routinely do it with CWS/TWS. If parents of CWS/TWS are taught-- and made-- to demonstrate mastery of these techniques suggested-- prior to the therapy being imposed on the CWS/TWS-- the parent will not allow that type of therapy. Parents recognize it runs the risk of SILENCE with their child. Do you think it is OK To stutter if you are a child who stutters? Just wondering...