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From: Larry Molt
Date: 31 Oct 2005
Time: 22:52:11 -0600
Remote Name: 68.190.61.215
Great Question, Jason! I can only speculate. My guess is that the public's interpretation about new therapy techniques and/or devices is often affected by how they are intially presented to the public by the media (i. e., Tomorrow on Regis: tune in to see the tormenting problem of stuttering and how a "new miracle cure for stuttering" changed a high school student's life!!!). The media is looking for what will make interesting news - a device that helps a stutterer do better in therapy and eventually become a more effective speaker isn't very thrilling or sexy (nor can it be clearly demonstrated in a 10 to 20 minute segment); a device that immediately "cures" a severe problem the second it's put on makes for very dramatic news (or entertainment) coverage. So what the public typically hears about is the latter, the apparent "miracle cures". By the way, what finally apears in the media may be skewed dramatically from what the manufacturer or the clinician wanted to be seen or heard - because, once again, the producer or writer is looking for what has the most dramatic impact. Statements urging caution in interpreting how a device might work often end up on the cutting-room floor!