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From: Bob Quesal
Date: 10/18/00
Time: 9:36:37 AM
Remote Name: 143.43.201.96
This is one of those (many) cases where our counseling skills come into play. I think it would be a good idea to find out why the parents feel guilty, since that could come from many sources: we did something wrong during pregnancy, we raised our child wrong, we "made" our child stutter, etc. You need to reassure the parents that the stuttering is not their fault--it's nobody's fault! (that idea is stolen from Bill Murphy). ;-)>
You can try some "what if?" types of things with them: What if your child didn't stutter? Would you love them more? Less?
To what extent do you feel that your child's stuttering reflects poorly on you? (This is an extremely tough question to ask, but often it needs to be asked.)
Parents who are guilty need two primary things, IMHO: some education to show that they are not at fault, and some help in putting their child's stuttering in some context: what does your child do well? What are his/her strengths? How big of a role does stutttering play in who your child is and/or what s/he will become?
Examples of stutterers who have become successful might help.
Like most other things, "parental guilt" can have many underpinnings and I think it's important to determine where the guilt arises and tackle it from those points.
I hope this helps.
BQ