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From: Lauren, Grad Student
Date: 15 Oct 2006
Time: 16:27:54 -0500
Remote Name: 75.37.238.106
Mr. Sugarman- Thank you so much for sharing your personal story with stuttering. I was so shocked to hear that you were considered mentally retarded and put in a special class! Times have certainly changed. Thank goodness more and more people are becoming aware of all different kinds of disabilities so that no one ends up in a place where they don't belong! However, awareness should continue to spread. I am a 2nd year SLP grad student. Before starting the program, I knew very little about stuttering and had know idea why a person starts to stutter. I have found that it is in fact a problem that is more of an internal struggle than anything else. As I started to study about stuttering this year, I felt unsure of myself and a bit confused at times. Many theories and research about stuttering is full of "might be's" meaning that explanations for stuttering are so unsubstantiated. I got a little worried...I thought to myself, "How am I going to help somebody with this problem? Will I know enough to have what it takes?" From reading your article and so many others on this web page, I realize that a speech therapist doesn't always have to fix the problem, but they can help a person recognize where the stuttering arises. It's about teaching the client how to live with their stutter and how to cope when things get rough. Once a client can Learn to do those things, then the opportunities for them are endless. What I want to know is what do SLPs do with the kids who don't see their stuttering as a problem but have parents who do? I know we should educate the parents, but how should we go about doing this professionally? I guess I really think it will be hard for me to not take things so personally... Where can I go to learn more about counseling? There are so many things that I have not considered before I chose this profession, and I am happily surprised. I love the fact that I have the opportunity to do some counseling and to not only help people communicate better with the outside world but within themselves as well. WOW! This career I am working towards gets harder and harder every day, but the rewards that I will experience balance everything out.