Future SLP
Hi all,
My name is Sarah and I am a second year SLP grad student. So far in all of my placements I have not had the opportunity to work with a person who stutters. I am currently in a fluency class and have learned a lot from my professor, but I would love to get the viewpoints of other clinicians as well. I was wondering how you would offer support during an assessment, especially discussing the emotional impacts of a stutter and what they want to get out of therapy. I know those conversations can be hard, and it is hard to know what to expect without having that hands on experience. I want to be there for my future clients; however, I don’t want to dismiss there feelings. What are some of the best ways to go about this? And what are some of your favorite screeners for people who stutter?
Thank you,
Sarah
Hi Sarah! This is such an important question!
During an assessment, we typically are on the front lines in terms of giving clients and their families diagnoses and prognoses. These conversations are really hard, but they must be had. You’re in a position to shed light on stuttering and manage expectations by being upfront and honest about stuttering- that it has no cure, but there are things we can target in therapy that can make living with a stutter easier.
A person who stutters coming in for an evaluation might have a preconceived idea of what therapy can do for them or what they want out of therapy, and your news might make them feel upset, but it also gives actionable goals to move forward with- so we can’t make your stutter go away, but we can work on increasing your confidence or willingness to take on speaking challenges. We can work on feeling OK with stuttering, talking about it more, learning about it together.
My favorite assessment tool for stuttering has to be the OASES!