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From: Alan Badmington
Date: 22 Oct 2004
Time: 20:05:11 -0500
Remote Name: 134.29.30.89
Hi Janet, Thank you for your interest in my article. My involvement with SLPs (or SLTs - as we call them in the UK) has been extremely minimal. I recall having brief therapy when I was 7/8, and again at the age of 12. As far as I can remember, I was open and relaxed in their presence. I assume that my parents and I must have discussed my stutter when I was young, but my recollection is a little hazy after all these years ;-) Presumably, they took me to the SLT in the first instance, although I may have been referred by the school authorities. (The latter certainly applied on the second occasion). In the UK, stuttering has been very much to the fore during recent years with the emergence of a young pop star whose speech difficulties were exposed to the country via a prolonged talent competition on national television (Pop Idol). There have subsequently been many articles in newspapers and magazines, while stuttering has also been featured in several television and radio documentaries. The British Stammering Association has also distributed CDs to schools. In the ideal world, all parents and teachers should know more about stuttering (and the many other problems that affect children). Sadly, we know that this will never be the case. Some parents will show a keen interest in gaining an understanding about stuttering, whereas others will not. Likewise, teachers cannot be expected to acquire a proficient knowledge about the subject - although they should, at least, be aware of the problem and refer the children to the relevant bodies. They should also encourage the children to talk more openly about the difficulties that they experience. I feel that I may have meandered a little in my response, possibly because I do not feel that I am in a position to comment upon the current situation regarding parents and teachers. Having said that, I hope that some of my comments may be of some assistance ;-) Thank you, once again, for taking the time to respond to my article. Kindest regards Alan