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From: Peter Reitzes
Date: 16 Oct 2006
Time: 12:10:58 -0500
Remote Name: 165.155.128.147
Jenna, thanks for sharing your views on this topic. My paper was careful to explain, “Some proponents of the term stutterer support its use because they feel it is not possible to fully face a problem until one fully admits to having a problem.” I certainly did not state or suggest that all people who stutter must use the term “stutterer” to productively manage stuttering. You may have noticed in my paper that I use the terms “stutterer” and “person who stutters” interchangeably. Such use and comfort with both terms is a pretty clear indication that I respect them both equally. You ask, “Shouldn't we be explaining to the parent that stuttering is not what their child is but mearly [merely] a characteristic of their speech.” The more you work with people who stutter and their families the more you may come to see the feelings of guilt and desperation held by many parents of children who stutter. As I said in the paper, a lecture about the term “stutterer” may unintentionally blame parents for their child’s stuttering. Parents feel enough helplessness and guilt regarding their child’s stuttering, they do not need the clinician piling more on. Peter