[Next]
From: Woody
Date: 10/22/00
Time: 8:28:06 AM
Remote Name: 155.247.229.58
Hi Pam:
I completely agree with Ken. I can even recommend a particular person in the Boston area. If you will write me out of the public limelight, I will give you her number.
Just a few notes too. Stuttering most often occurs at the beginning of sentences, so that fact in your son's pattern doesn't mean anything special. That he talks rapidly and is sometimes hard to understand is helpful information. This is a different problem from stuttering, called cluttering, which can be a part of stuttering in some cases. That is the kind of information that a full evaluation would get at. Ken St. Louis might want to comment on that, since he knows much more about it than I do.
Seven is a little older than average for stuttering onset, but not unusual, and the pattern you describe of a milder problem at an earlier age which gets worse as school, or some other stressor, kicks in is also a common pattern of onset. I too am not sure if the phonics instruction played a role, but it would not do much harm to his eventual ability to read, if you were to remove him from that form of instruction, if it is possible to do so. If it is a major factor in his stuttering, you should see a quick change in the stuttering for the better.
I hope these help. Call (215-222-4559) or email (v5002e@vm.temple.edu) me offline, and I will give you the name of the clinician.