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From: Retz
Date: 07 Oct 2004
Time: 13:57:07 -0500
Remote Name: 206.40.121.136
Russ... Really enjoyed your article. So much to relate to and recall as I read your article. My experience with past HS classmates was that they really didn't know how much I stuttered...They remembered I did stutter, but their major recall was that I did not talk to much--never in class, hardly ever on a phone--but that I was a pretty good basketball player! By the time I reached HS, my reputation as a "stutterer" preceeded me. I did not have a positive experience with my overall classmates or HS academic career. Hoops was my savior! (When you can shoot a fade-away J from 15 ft consistently, people tend to overlook the challenges one might have!!!) I did have 3 guys I was tight with in HS and experienced "fluency" with them over a # of bottles of Ripple Wine at times :) (that's another story!!!).... And there was a girl who really liked me, and I her, and she never really had an issue with my stuttering. She liked me....even if I stuttered! She was a great person to me in HS. Years ago, when we last spoke, she let me know her parents were a bit concerned at the time because of the way I dealt with the telephone. As I look back, I wish I would have had a SLP who was more concerned with what I was saying VS how I stuttered. All the emphasis was on forcing me to stop or control my stuttering using Fluency Shaping/Training and Stuttering Modification techniques.....and I thought that I sounded even more weird using that stuff than when I stuttered... So did my three buddies. So like the majority of those of us who stutter, I figured out the "cure" for me, and it was quite an easy decision for me to make at the time--Just don't talk. (Bad decision!!!! Had long term effects on my develoment of communication skills!) I am so glad that I found an SLP in college who really understood stuttering and what to do about it...I will always be grateful for and to him. Anyways Russ, I really enjoyed your article. Your attitude is inspirational! Your sharing of yourself in your article has a tremendous impact on Children Who Stutter, Teens Who Stutter, their parents, and Adults Who Stutter. Look forward to when we next meet and catchin' up on life!