[ Contents | Search | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: Dr. Kay Monkhouse
Date: 22 Oct 2004
Time: 16:23:58 -0500
Remote Name: 141.150.106.133
Dear Natalie, The model is the basis for any treatment program, and, as we all know, a treatment program can last from days to many years. The model has been developed as a way to help those in the therapeutic environment – client, parent, teacher, other professionals, to have appropriate expectation levels of the sequence (and tiny steps involved) when we are making changes in speaking behaviors – especially when progress is slow and or expectation levels for change are too demanding. Because the model espouses positive feedback, the goals and objectives of a treatment program must be developed to engage very small incremental steps in order to foster increasing confidence and establish that feeling of fluency. There is therefore no time limit based on the model, because the focus is always on understanding that there will be variability of fluency (or whatever the target behavior is) depending on changing levels of communication complexity. It is the concept of the normalcy of variability, based on changing complexity levels, that helps keep a positive attitude (especially in a long-term treatment program). The clinician’s ability to create goals and objectives that employ “baby steps” is crucial to the positive nature of the treatment program. The model is therefore completely independent of time constraints (and was developed specifically for that purpose).