SLPs help people improve their ability to communicate. This is a powerful statement. Ironically, I think it is a such a bold statement that its meaning is completely lost on most people. Communication is one of those abilities like walking or having opposable thumbs that we completely take for granted. Unless, of course, something about it doesn't work properly.
As a speech therapist, and a chapter leader for the NSA, I sometimes feel caught between two separate stuttering camps: the "cure" camp, and the acceptance camp. I have no qualms stating that I cannot cure your stutter. And, I am a huge fan of the NSA and strongly believe that acceptance is the ultimate "fix" for stuttering.
So, if I can't cure it, and I believe that acceptance is the most powerful position out there...why am I a stuttering-specialized speech therapist?
Just in time for record-breaking winter weather in Chicago, I watched Disney's new animated feature Frozen this weekend. The story is a modern take on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. It tells the tale of Elsa, a young queen with magical winter powers; and her younger sister Anna, who searches for her queen-sister to break the eternal winter that Elsa has inadvertently caused.
Throughout the film, I was struck by how many of Elsa's reactions, choices, and thoughts parallel the experience of stuttering. Stuttering is not a "superpower" in the way that ice-magic is, but Elsa's personal journey in Frozen shows that her frosty fingers are really just the tip of her personal iceberg.
Because I specialize in adults and teens, it's pretty rare that I am someone's first-ever speech therapist. The majority of my clients went through some form of speech therapy as a child, and a significant number have pursued subsequent rounds as an adult. Past therapy experiences range from school-based once-a-week sessions to intensive multi-week programs consisting of 8 hours of speech therapy per day.
As stated in my earlier blog post, my goal at ASHA this year was to experiment with sketchnoting. I was extremely pleasantly surprised by both the overall experience and my resulting notes (especially given that I don't consider myself any kind of artist, unless stick figures count).
For all the emphasis on holistic, "whole person" approaches to therapy, especially in stuttering treatment, our research is surprisingly lacking. Torrey Louck discussed the exciting possibilities of simultaneous scanning to visually match brain activity to motor acts. Why can we not incorporate emotions into our hard science questions? Or validate our self-awareness strategies with neuroimaging?
Sketchnotes is a way of taking notes that is highly graphical, visual, and big-impact. Wired author James Kelly describes the key premise as "listen more intently, link imagery to the verbal concept and create a more concrete memory, filter out distractions."
Imagine being afraid to say your own name.
I talk about stuttering a lot, because it is something I'm passionate about. The main theme of my conversations with people outside the stuttering community (and sometimes within!) is that most people know very little about stuttering, or what they do "know" is incorrect. Because only 1% of the population stutters, most people don't experience many interactions with people who stutter, and this can further misconceptions.
So, in honor of ISAD 2013, here are this SLP's top 3 LEAST favorite myths about stuttering!
I love to play games. Board and card games were common family activities growing up. Tabletop campaigns, Settlers of Catan, and World of Warcraft took up most of my free time in college (and beyond). I was sadly forced to retire from most of my gaming habits once the time demands of adulthood set in, but I still love a complex German board game or well-written RPG on the weekends.
Chicago, IL
312.870.0352
Chicago, IL
312.870.0352
8 S Michigan Ave Suite 812
Chicago, IL 60603
312.870.0352
8 S Michigan Ave, Suite 812
Chicago, IL 60603
312.870.0352