Question for PWS from SLP student
Hello everyone, I am in graduate school for speech-language pathology. As SLPs can and do work closely with PWS what are some tips you have for me as I go into the profession of working with individuals with a stutter? AND how do you think I best advocate for individuals who stutter? Thank you so much!
Hi Taylor! That’s a good question 🙂
I think the best tip I can give is to learn to view stuttering as an experience rather than a disruption of fluency. From my perspective, stuttering therapy should not be solely focused on techniques. Stuttering, as an experience, includes behavioral implications (like avoidance), perceptions, emotional reactions, rumination. It is never the disfluency per se. So I think that understanding the full experience of stuttering can help you start therapy from a “let’s work together to make the the experience of stuttering easier” attitude, rather than “I’ll show you how to speak and it will fix you” attitude.
Thank you for this interesting and important question!
And thank you for choosing to become an SLP!
I would emphasize these points for any future stuttering clients:
– Become familiar with many different therapeutic approaches – fluency shaping techniques, stuttering modification techniques, and psychological approaches (building self-confidence, reducing avoidances, etc.).
– Design a therapy protocol for each client individually that would best meet their needs; resist the urge to use a “one-size-fits-all” therapy program.
– Listen to the clients, learn from them, and respect their needs and wishes in designing this protocol – which should be based on an evaluation PLUS what the client has to say about their own perceived needs.
– Expect that there WILL be relapses now and then. Stuttering differs from many other speech/language disorders in that one cannot expect clients to show relatively steady progress upwards, even with excellent therapeutic skills and knowledge. Relapses are an entirely normal part of the process in stuttering therapy.
– Most importantly, the client CANNOT be blamed in any way for relapses. Too often, frustrated SLP’s tell their relapsed clients that what happened was the clients’ own fault, that they didn’t work hard enough, that they didn’t follow instructions properly, etc., etc. These types of comments from SLP’s are all too common, and it is the main reason why many people who stutter develop negative attitudes about SLP’s.
– Instead, the competent and caring SLP needs to have a deep understanding about relapses, and needs to know how to gently guide a PWS back on a track towards good progress.
– It is also important for an SLP to get to know people who stutter on a personal level. I would advise SLP’s and SLP students to attend national and international conferences of people who stutter, talk to people attending, and learn about their life experiences.
– I would also recommend joining online stuttering forums, to learn about what people who stutter are thinking, what they are feeling, and what their therapeutic experiences have been like.
Regarding advocating for people who stutter, I would recommend listening closely to what clients tell you, to ascertain what needs people who stutter have, and what needs they express. If you attend conferences of people who stutter, or participate in stuttering forums, you can learn much about the thinking and desires of people who stutter.
It sounds like you will be a very caring speech pathologist. Best of luck to you!