Growing Up With Stuttering Sparknotes

To begin with, Living With Stuttering is an excellent book for those who want to know more about stuttering and especially understanding how those with stuttering have coped with it throughout their lives. One particular story that stood out is the story written by Michael Sugarman. He was only twenty-one years old when finally admitted to himself that he stuttered. He allowed stuttering to represent him as a person and he felt powerless, ashamed, and guilty for stuttering. It was not until after he went to speech therapy, he began to gain self-confidence, and did not allow his stuttering too overcome him.

Next, the story written by Michael Sugarman may impact a reader due to the experiences he had as a child. He explained how he avoided as many verbal conversations as he could. In addition, he often used gestures so that he did not have to talk unless it was absolutely necessary. This shows readers that sometimes you never really know what a person is actually going through mentally and that sometimes they just need the extra encouragement.

Another story that stood out is the story written by Fred.

A. Lewis. Readers will learn that Fred had been stuttering since he was five years old, but it was not until he eight years old that people started to notice that he spoke differently from others. Growing up with stuttering had made Fred dread school. College was one of his hardest times pertaining to stuttering. He attending speech therapy in college but it did not seem to work. Eight years later, he went to speech therapy again, which consisted of a combined approach of fluency shaping and breathing exercises. He only saw a little progress, so he went to a different speech therapist. This was a high point for Fred because his therapist Joseph Sheehan developed an Avoidance Reduction Approach. Fred began to see an increase in

improvement.
Moreover, the story written by Fred. A. Lewis may impact a reader due to how he went through different speech therapy’s but they never seemed to actually work. He first went to a speech clinic when he was in college but he did not think it worked for him. Then, when he went to graduate school, he attended therapy once again. His therapy consisted of relaxation-based therapy and passive airflow approach. He realized that it was the completely wrong approach for stuttering. Then, years later he had therapy again that consisted of a combined approach of fluency shaping, stuttering modification, and breathing exercises. As a result, he only saw little progress. Lastly, years after he saw a therapist who worked under Joseph Sheehan. He saw significant results due to the avoidance reduction approach.
Furthermore, a few resources a Speech-Language Pathologist may benefit from this book is the Avoidance Reduction Approach. According to Sisskin Stuttering Center, “The daily experience of stuttering is viewed as an approach-avoidance conflict. The negative thoughts of what others think also combine with fear and avoiding sound or situations. This leads to a negative impact on relationships and life choices.” The Avoidance Reduction Approach benefits those who stutter, for example, group therapy may help gain one’s confidence or learning how to speak comfortably and confidently.
Lastly, some of the ways these stories may impact an Audiologist or Speech-Language Pathologist is just by reading how emotional their stories are. Some people may not realize what a person really goes through with these types of disorders. It is always important to put the patient’s feelings first and to ask questions. As an Audiologist or SLP, they have the capability of positively impacting someone’s life tremendously. Lastly, it is extremely important in this profession to know if you are diagnosing the patient correctly. If they do not notice positive results, then it is important to try a different approach.