What are some feelings that PWS experience upon first starting speech therapy?
Hello, I’m Gayle Taylor and I am currently an undergraduate senior at CSUF majoring in communication sciences and disorders. I am curious as to how most PWS initially felt before starting speech therapy since I know that even though they do make that choice to seek speech therapy for their stutter, they may feel initially anxious and in some cases hesitant and I was wondering if that is true for some. Furthermore, what were some initial expectations that PWS have had of speech therapy before actually starting the sessions? What do PWS expect to gain or learn from speech therapy initially before starting sessions? Thank you for reading!!
Hi Gayle-
Thank you so much for your post! I’m wondering, actually, if your question may be more fitting for our awesome panel of people who stutter. Have you posted it under ‘Talk to a PWS?’ Some of our professionals are also people who stutter and may be able to comment; however, I bet you’ll get even more responses on the other chat.
Best,
~Jaime
Hi Gayle,
I agree with Jaime!
I CAN tell you from my perspective though that wouldn’t really be a first hand account, right?
So one common thing I’ve noticed in any adolescent/ adult who visits the fluency clinic is that their goal is often to “get rid of their stutter”. Of course we then begin our journey towards acceptance!
Hi Gayle
I cannot speak for all PWS, but being a PWS and having heard a lot of stories, I might add my experiences.
PWS come to you for a bunch of different reasons. Some want fluency. But some might be ok with their stutter and simply like some tools to get a more smooth speech. Some might need help to accept their stutter. And some might want help to understand stuttering, or have a family member, partner, teacher or employer to learn more about stuttering (and get them of their back 😉 ).
We also come to you with a huge backpack with experiences. About our stutter, thoughts and emotions, people’s reactions, cultural pressure, and maybe even previous (good or bad) experiences from other treatments and SLPs.
So the first thing you need to do is to find out what the client wants, for who s/he wants it (therapy for a client who doesn’t want it for himself might add to the fear of speaking if therapy doesn’t have the effect other people expected), and what’s in that backpack. Only then you can find out what this client needs and give him a toolbox of things to try. And think outside the box, as it might even be a mix of Mindfulness/NLP/ACT plus public speaking plus yoga and singing, besides the usual speech tools that are mentioned in the books. And always realize that you are the expert on therapy, but your client is the expert on his/her stutter. So don’t hesitate to ask questions. (And if you want to practice, use us by contacting the nearest support group and ask questions in chat groups for PWS, and ask us who are not your clients, as you did now. We’d love to answer all your questions.)
And this is what makes speech therapy for PWS so exiting, as you might find that perfect mix that makes us strong confident speaker, whether we stutter or not.
Happy ISAD and keep them talking
Anita