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From: Russ Hicks
Date: 14 Oct 2005
Time: 20:54:59 -0500
Remote Name: 67.166.234.106
Hi Judith, Working with teenagers can certainly be tough, stuttering or not. Is it really possible that their stuttering really doesn't bother them any more? Yes, but you never know. If they tell you that they love Brussels sprouts (yuck! gag!) just to get you off their back, then you really don't have much of a choice. Forced speech therapy is pretty much of a lose-lose proposition. The teen will resent your constant pressure and you will probably not see much, if any, progress. ....... I vote with the teenager on this. Speech therapy is not like learning to play the piano or becoming a champion swimmer where the primary activity is practice, practice, practice. If the motivation to improve his (or her) communication skills is simply not there, there's not much you can do. That motivation has GOT to come from WITHIN an individual, it can't be forced on them. We see this all the time in the adult community. When they're ready to get down to business, they'll come. If they're not ready, nothing you can do will help very much. ...... Is it denial? Possibly. But that's not your call. If you can get him into a teen stuttering support group like the NSA, that may be at least a partial solution. Just remember, it's his life, not yours. ...... Good luck! Russ