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From: Bobby Childers
Date: 10/9/01
Time: 12:45:46 AM
Remote Name: 216.234.193.149
Allyson: You asked some very good questions, and I'm not really sure I'm the right person to answer them, but I will give it my best shot.
In my opinion, a support system is just that, a support until you have developed enough internal fortitude to handle things on your own. Bear in mind that a young child needs training wheels for a time while they are learning to ride a bicycle. For a stutterer, a support system of SLP's and other stutterers is a set of "training wheels". They are there to keep you from falling flat on your face until you learn to balance yourself.
I am the type of stutterer that will always stutter to some degree. The support system that developed as I was in therapy is backing off as I learn to "balance" my stuttering with my personal and professional life. The more I learn, the less I need the support, except during times of extreme stress.
If I had not had the support system, I would not be as far along now as I feel I have come. The SLP's, stuttering listserv's and the local support group all served to give me "moral support", guidance, and advice when I felt I needed it. I would still be struggling along as I have always done, but I wouldn't have given speeches to large groups of people or wouldn't have expanded my horizons as much without the support system in place.
Fluent? In my eyes, I am more fluent now than I have ever been, but there is still room for improvement. As I adjust my attitude(s) towards my stuttering to a more accepting position, my speech comes with less blocking, less hesitations, and less forward searching for possible words to stutter on.
Will I ever be as fluent as I want to be? No. There is no way I could ever be as fast talking as my daughter (age 24) who can talk faster than the Star Ship Enterprise (Voyager) can travel through space. But just because she can talk fast, doesn't mean that she is 100% fluent either. She doesn't block near as often as I do, but she does mispronounce words, leave words out, etc. Will I ever reach the point to where I feel that I can no longer improve? No. I will always be able to improve on my speech, my attitudes, and my life. No matter how long a person lives, how much education a person gets, they will always learn something new everyday.
So long as I am drawing air into my lungs, I will strive to improve myself in anyway possible. Whether that includes my speech is to be seen (and heard). I guess it will really depend on my circumstances, but I do forsee a time when my stuttering is a minor disturbance in my life. Now whether that is because it has reduced or just because I have finally accepted it is anyone's (including mine) best guess.
I hope that I have answered as least some of your questions, but at the same time I hope that I have caused more questions to arise. The more you ask, the more you will learn. ---Bobby