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From: Larry Molt
Date: 10/22/03
Time: 12:52:04 PM
Remote Name: 131.204.161.104
Hi Ed
I agree that a higher degree of anxiety (than seen in many nonstuttering individuals) towards speaking situations is a very normal consequence of stuttering . . . to a degree. That's why many approaches to stuttering therapy utilize techniques similar to those used in treating social anxiety disorders (e. g., use of situational hierachies in transferring fluent speech or modified stuttering into real world settings). Such approaches are dealing with the accompanying anxiety as much as the stuttering.
But I disagree with your comments that seem to me to indicate that communication anxiety is the same for everyone who stutters. I think you're missing the point when it comes to communication anxiety - it easily can become excessive (exceeding what would be "rational" and expected even in light of the stuttering) and interfere with the ability to communicate. In fact, the anxiety might become a greater impairment to communication interaction than the stuttering itself was, and in this situation, it would not be typical, and would need to be attacked directly. Secondly, people who stutter have every right to also posess a concommitant anxiety disorder in addition to stuttering (rather than resulting from stuttering) (and in fact, similar neurophysiological mechanisms may underlie or at least contribute to both). Again, such a situation would warrant direct intervention with the anxiety disorder (possibly through behavioral therapy or pharmaceutical approaches) as well as direct intervention with the stuttering.
Thanks for your interest!