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From: Ken St. Louis
Date: 10/2/00
Time: 2:05:00 PM
Remote Name: 157.182.12.51
Hi Gunars, I don't think there is any set of rules that will always tell us what to do regarding labels or parental corrections and reminders. Clearly Johnson was aware that when we label anyone, there is always the possibility that either we might not see them fully for what they are or that they might begin to see themselves for less than what they are. But, in a conversation I had a few years ago with the late Einer Bogerg, he told me that Johnson had stated that he was sure that speech-language pathologists were intuitively aware of this danger and were able to see beyond the label.
Of course, we must be cognizant of the potential problem of parents overdoing reminders and corrections. The Lidcombe Program after all recommends 10 times as many praises as corrections as parents begin to deal with their children's stuttering. It seems to me the best thing to communicate to parents is that they should always be the child's parent first and do what they believe would be best. Beyond that, they can learn to interact in different ways for short, circumscribed periods of time that hopefully will result in the child learning to speak in a new way. But it is important to communicate to parents that, other than these periods, they should interact with the child in their usual way.
I don't think this is any different from a parent dealing with a sick child. Yes, the child may be at risk of acquiring the self-concept of a sick child, but parents typically know how to minimize this through constant assurance of love, caring, and optimism for the best possible outcome. Kids generally know when parents' attention is in their best interest, even if they don't like it very much. And, as a result, when the child's problem resolves, the self-esteem scars you suggest may either never occurred or have healed up.
As you might surmise from my JFD article on labeling, I don't think the words that are used to label someone are nearly as important as the spirit in which they are used. I would hold the same position here: the parental love and care will likely determine the long-term effect of any temporary changes in their comments about their child's speech.
This is not meant to be an answer but another hopefully realistic perspective. It may not work in every case, but at least can provide a good place to start.
Best wishes,
Ken