StutterTalk has published more than 700 free, weekly podcasts on stuttering since 2007. StutterTalk is dedicated to supporting people who stutter, their families, professionals, students, and the general public by talking openly about stuttering and by providing information about stuttering. We address the loneliness and isolation of stuttering by talking about it.
https://stuttertalk.com
Should Speech-Language Pathologists Treat People Who Stutter? (Part Three with Jim McClure, Ep. 631)
Jim McClure
Jim McClure joins Peter Reitzes to discuss if speech-language pathologists (SLPs) should continue to evaluate and treat people who stutter. This is episode three in a series on the topic.
Mr. McClure reports feeling “fortunate” to have had very little speech therapy while in grade school and being “spared” from speech therapy in high school because he was covert. Jim discusses his concerns about the “scarcity of clinicians who really understand stuttering.” Mr. McClure mentions that litigation may be one way to educate the public about stuttering and to increase the number of SLPs who recuse themselves when they feel unqualified to treat a person who stutters.
Jim McClure is a person who stutters and is the former consumer member of the American Board of Fluency and Fluency Disorders. He serves on the National Stuttering Association’s advisory board and was a director and chapter leader for many years. Jim is a retired public relations consultant and has conducted consumer-oriented surveys of people who stutter.
Links mentioned on today’s episode:
- An Exploration of Clinicians Views About Assessment and Treatment of Stuttering (Tellis, Bresslaer & Emerick, 2008).
- The Experience of People Who Stutter: A Survey by the National Stuttering Association