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From: Ed Feuer
Date: 10/1/03
Time: 12:14:08 PM
Remote Name: 142.161.184.133
Hello Anders, Good piece. I have a special perspective because I was in Kalamazoo when you were, and remember the EMG experiments and bull sessions over coffee.
Doc Van was one of the very few geniuses whose presence I have been honoured to be in. But let's add a little spice here. Van Riper was alway in favour of moving the ball forward. His stuttering therapy made eminent good sense then — and now, and in my view, it's never been surpassed.
Only one problem: the full regime of therapy described in The Treatment of Stuttering has never been done, in my view. Not even by Van Riper. The book is a compendium of his best concepts, the ideal, gleaned from his experience over the course of decades. But the delivery of what he describes is too much for one SLP, alone, because of knowledge and/or time deficiencies.
When SLPs say they do Van Riper therapy what they mean is that they pick out certain limited and convenient elements, cafeteria style. That, of course, is not enough.
That is why, based on my experiences on the receiving end of stuttering therapy, I advocate a coordinated multidisciplinary team approach for the treatment of stuttering in adults. Those who want to learn more can read my futuristic essay In The Year 2025 on the Stuttering Home Page at: Check out In The Year 2025, on the Stuttering Home Page at: http://www.mankato.msus.edu/dept/comdis/kuster/TherapyWWW/In2025.html
Interested in your view, Regards, Ed