COVERT STUTTERING
I’ve got a secret- and
it’s scaring me to death!
Jean Meyer and Lauren Provus
Who is it?
o
Your
mom, boss, or best friend?
o
IS
IT YOU??
o
“Covert
stutterers are those who seemingly speak normally at times, but put loads of
pressure on themselves to conceal their occasional bouts of stuttering by using
various techniques. These are
people who appear to look normal and will also be able to pass off for a
non-stutterer for a few times, but ultimately as they say, ‘One cannot
fool everybody all the time.’” (Karthik Ranganathan)
o
Or
can they?
The Profile:
o
similar
to that of overt stutterers (predominately males, family history of stuttering,
poor phonological and non-verbal skills)
o
It
is not uncommon for a covert stutterer to carry the secret of his or her
stuttering alone, with no one among friends or family aware of their inner
struggle to speak in a normal-sounding way. This person is an extreme example
of avoidance. (Woody Starkweather)
o
core
behavior: blocks
o
secondary
behaviors:
o
escape
behaviors: yawns, coughs & throat clearing
o
avoidance
behaviors: word/phrase
substitution & scanning ahead
o
flee
situations
o
appear
shy and introverted
o
the
“iceberg” problem
The “Iceberg” problem
o
physical
problem of visible
stuttering
forms the top of the iceberg
o
huge
emotional baggage becomes the more significant, yet concealed, lower part of
the iceberg (Karthik Ranganathan)
Your mission: therapy
o
transition
to overt stuttering: uncover the alias
o
teach
a slower speech rate
o
don’t
interrupt
o
build
confidence
o
maintain
eye contact
o
auditory
feedback
Direct from the source:
o
“I
did not realize that one could be so practiced with paraphrasing and
substitutions to completely hide his/her disfluency” (Anonymous)
o
“For some coverts, the
‘ability’ to successfully get around or flee fearful situations
becomes an odd and perverse source of pride at the secret skill.”
(Anonymous)
o
“When
you successfully ‘flee’ a threatening situation there is an
immediate sense of euphoria that it ‘it worked!’ However, in the
immediate wake of that euphoria is a sense of diminishment and shame that
follows.” (Anonymous)
o “If there ever was a great mantra for coverts, ‘what a web we weave, when at first we attempt to deceive.’” (Anonymous)