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From: Steve Hood
Date: 10/1/01
Time: 7:31:02 PM
Remote Name: 64.12.101.152
Hi, Jonathan.... I am glad you liked the paper. Thanks. I think there are three issues that you raise here. (1) YES !!! We must do more to educate the public, and to reduce the unfortunate stereotypes that exist. PWS's are a heterogeneous group, and to make such sweeping generalizations as some people do is terribly wrong. (2) And yes, there can be some career consequences. Not all agree with me on this one, but I think that when this happens, the issue is **NOT** the stutering-- but rather, the severity of the stuttering, and/or the extent to which the PWS allows the stuttering to stuttering to be 'handicap' or 'disability.' It is the severity, and all the tricks and crutches to avoid, that is more the issue. Milder forms of stuttering (not just less frequent, but less effort/struggle/tension, and obvious avoidances, become the issue.) and (3) YES !! We must find ways to help the younger coverts (pre-adolescent and adolecent years, primarily, to be more accepting. And we all know this is difficult. SLP's must learn more about the emotional side of covert stuttuering in order to help. Fortunately, we now have support groups such as NSA, Friends, in the USA -- and CAPS and BSA, and others associated with the IFA in other countries. My hope is that these groups will become increasingly involved in helping not only the overts, but the coverts as well. Thanks, Jonathan, for your interest in our paper.