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From: Nan Ratner
Date: 10/20/00
Time: 2:18:53 PM
Remote Name: 129.2.25.203
This is not a comment on the program you describe per se, but rather an observation on what any software program can really accomplish. As an aid to concepts in fluency shaping, it probably has its uses. However, fluency shaping alone or practice of speech targets alone, can only do so much, in my opinion. For many people who stutter, it is not mastery of the targets that is the problem, it is being able to use them in real-life situations, particularly because issues such as their fear of stuttering, or fear of speaking, impeded their ability to utilize these skills when they matter most. I sometimes think it is like performance anxiety: it is easy to shoot hoops well when no one is watching, but very difficult if an audience of thousands of playoff fans are watching. Or, as my colleague Vivian Sisskin nicely notes, it is easy to walk on a 2X4 board if it is on the ground, but impossible if I stretch it between two tall buildings. I think that many of us recognize that the challenge is not the mastery of certain speech goals, but helping the person understand the complex interaction among factors such as tolerance of their own speech and fluency, fear of stuttering and speaking, etc. that makes the largest difference between successful and less successful treatment, and I just don't know how much software is going to make a dent in this.
Nan