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From: Woody Starkweather
Date: 10/6/01
Time: 1:53:52 PM
Remote Name: 134.29.30.167
Hi:
It can be difficult sometimes to distinguish between denial and acceptance. I think a person is in denial about their stuttering if the behaviors are clearly interfering with school participation or work efforts, but the person says "it doesn't bother me." But if the fluency level itself is high enough so that the person can function well, and they are asking questions in class, participating in discussions, hanging out with friends, than I would say that they are being accepting.
Also, denial in stuttering often takes the form of futurizing ("someday I will grow out of it" or "someday I will really work on it"). Minimalizing is another form, as in "it's not that bad." These statements need to be checked against the actuality of the stuttering severity to get a sense of whether they are denial or reality.
Woody