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From: John Kagie
Date: 07 Oct 2005
Time: 11:38:47 -0500
Remote Name: 217.169.227.235
Greetings professors, Here in the Netherlands the general accepted concept is that there is primary and secondary stuttering. (The primary symptoms are caused by a neurological defect in the brains. Secondary symptoms are “learned” by the PWS in the course of time, they are a result of all of his attempts not to stutter.) For an average PWS it is estimated that some 90% of his problem is a result of secondary symptoms and only 10% primary. Is that concept acceptable for most of you or do you have reservations towards it? When we follow this concept it looks logical to focus therapy first on the secondary symptoms. Those are learned behaviour, so it can be unlearned. Unlearning is hard because the symptoms are a result of habit and mixed with emotions such as shame and fear. Only when the secondary symptoms are (nearly) disappeared therapy should focus on primary symptoms. Of course the neurological cause can not be cured, but its effect can be compensated with speech techniques. Quite another question is about Individualpsychologie as developed by Adler and Dreikurs. They see stuttering as a neurotic disturbance and therefore they think therapy should be psychologically oriented. Instinctively I do not like this view, but I have to admit it might be true to some degree of for some PWS. I am very interested to hear the views from all of you. Regards, John Kagie (PWS from the Netherlands)