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From: Peter Reitzes
Date: 04 Oct 2006
Time: 21:20:50 -0500
Remote Name: 69.22.238.4
Cristen, thanks for writing. You bring up some very good points. Many graduate programs do stress person first language, mine certainly did. Frankly, I feel such a strong stance against the use of the term “stutterer” is a very shaky high horse to ride. Since 1991, ASHA has recommended that authors writing for ASHA publications use "people-first" language so that individuals are labeled as people before they are labeled as impaired or disordered. This became ASHA policy in 1993 (Executive Board Meeting Minutes, 1993). In 1999, ASHA's Special Interest Division 4 (SID 4) on Fluency and Fluency Disorders issued guidelines that were highly critical of the 1993 ASHA policy. These guidelines point out, “No systematic research was carried to support the [1993] ASHA ‘person-first’ policy. Since its inception, limited research has shown that person-first labeling may or may not be perceived less negatively by individuals. . .” I use both “stutterer” and “person who stutters” to describe myself. I generally like stutterer because I spent so long being covert and trying not to stutter. I also like stutterer because so many of my colleagues in the field are under the impression that “stuttering” is a bad word. But with clients and stuttering friends, I strongly believe we need to use terminology that is best suited for their needs.