Goals of therapy for Adults with a chronic stuttering problem
by Stephen Hood
The following goals were outlined by Stephen Hood on Stutt-L in August
2001 and are shared below with permission. The information refers
primarily to adults with a chronic stuttering problem of long standing,
not to children in the early developmental stages of stuttering. Dr.
Hood emphasizes that for those with a chronic stuttering problem,
"success is more than the absence of stuttering. Rather than chase the
"fluency god," it is better to learn to cope with stuttering and reduce
its severity."
Basing "success" on merely reducing the frequency of stuttering is
often not very realistic. I think a better goal should be this:
- To be able to talk any time, any place to any body
- To be able to communicate effectively and efficiently
- To do so
with no more than a minumal amount of negative emotion.
List of personal goals
- I no longer need to chase the Fluency God
- I can live
without constant fear of stuttering
- I can speak well without
scanning ahead for difficult words
- I can speak for myself without
relying on others to talk for me
- I can explore and follow career
opportunities that require talking
- I can make decisions in spite
of stuttering, not because of it
- I am not suffering or
handicapped because of my stuttering
- I accept myself
- I do not feel guilty when I stutter and I am not ashamed of myself
when I do sometimes stutter
- I have choices I can make that help
me talk easily
- I communicate effectively, and feel comfortable
doing so
- I am really an ok person -- and I like being me.
added October 23, 2001