Use of Helpful Counseling Techniques for Fluency Therapy


Re: Counseling in speech pathology practice

From: Michael Sugarman
Date: 10/16/00
Time: 1:05:31 AM
Remote Name: 205.188.199.139

Comments

Ellen-Marie,

Thank you for your comments on the counseling procedures in the paper. I want to address your thoughts on the use of the term plws.

Language is very important in social movements and clinical relationships. In the late 70's while Executive Director with NSA (formerly NSP) began using person first language. The organization received numerous negative reactions to the term person who stutters versus stutterer. In the late 70's the consumer movement in stuttering was following the lead from the disability rights movement in the use of person first language.

The 90's we now hear from consumers with chronic disabilities the term living with..... I feel my stuttering is a chronic problem. I stutter. Living with ...describes accurately how my stuttering effects me everyday. I don't feel fatalistic. I do have hope that one day we can unearth a solution for people living with stuttering to remove the stuttering from his or her life.

Thank you again for taking the time and writing your feelings about a very important language shift.

kindly, Michael


Last changed: September 12, 2005