From: Jim Clarkson Australia
Date: 10/21/00
Time: 11:31:14 AM
Remote Name: 198.142.200.246
Anne Very interesting research you are doing especially with children of such a young age just great. Firstly I would like to state that I am a PWS age 50 with two grown up children both PWS one male 29 one female 27 each are now married but not with children yet,hence my interest. No one to date has stated any theories to your successes in your article [not game enough]. I had an intensive therapy in 1980 and again in 1982 when I sat in on my sons intensive. With this double wammy my fluency has been much improved with only some relapses with lifes crisis points. Since 1982 I have been my own therapist or to your treatment my own mother. Any slight hint of a stutter and I say in my own mind "wow" or in your terms "uh oh". I have become very alert to the weakness in my minds filing and retreval system. Learning to monitor ones own speech at such a young age is a 100% great therapy approach by me as both a parent and PWS. I gues you have certain guidelines of implementation for this technique. To this I would like say as a PWS I would prefer that an indication of a disfluency be as imediate as possible after the occurence. And if verbal be as short as possible e.g. "Uh" Although not preffered if a repeat is required only to be of the whole sentence or thought, never a word repeated on its own I hope this therapy lasts for ever. The next critical phase to me could be in the teenage years when lifes changes appear. If stuttering reappears I suggest the same technique with one difference do not use the parents as tutors at home. In fact use anyone else but the parents ie. grandparents, older sister, brother,aunty,uncle, freind. My questions for you are.. With children of such a young age is there stuttering only whole or part word repetitions no blocking. Most stutterers only seem to only recall from age 6 up. If I happen to have a grand child that stutters one of there parents will be a stutterer. What guide lines would you suggest for say the parents in relation to your therapy aproach include me as a grandparent GPWS if you like. Dont take me to seriously please and say as you think. For interests sake my family tree is listed under life stories at stutteringchat on egroups. Kind regards Jim Clarkson.