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From: Lianne Faktor
Date: 16 Oct 2006
Time: 21:22:01 -0500
Remote Name: 209.122.188.146
Dr. Silverman, I am a student at New York University pursuing a masters in Speech-Language Pathology. I really enjoyed reading your article and agreed with what you said about our beliefs shaping who we are and to recognize our faults and learn from them. I think this is a wonderful approach to use in therapy and probably helps put the client more at ease when you let them know that it is okay that they stutter. I also enjoyed the comparison made between King George VI and Tiger Woods. It demonstrated two individuals whom both stuttered and the different beliefs they had about themselves, their approach, and their experiences as a result. In my fluency class we discussed the differenct aspects of stuttering as well as the core and secondary behaviors. We learned that some of the secondary behaviors are avoiding to speak, facial tension, and fear. There was a discussion on what to address first in therapy. Do you work on the core behaviors such as the repetitions of letters or do you work on the secondary behaviors such as fear? I personally believe that the secondary behaviors should be addressed. King George VI was fearful that he would stutter when he spoke and as a result was always nervous to speak. That fear overpowered him and caused him to stutter each time he spoke. As a result, he was defeated by his fear. I feel that many individuals are haunted by this fear and as a result avoid speaking all together. This is why I really enjoyed your article. It demonstrates that mind can override matter. Thank you. Sincerely, Lianne Faktor