As a practitioner in speech-language pathology, understanding listener reactions to stuttering can significantly enhance therapeutic outcomes for children who stutter. The research article "Listener Reactions to Pseudostuttering Experiences" provides valuable insights that can help practitioners refine their approach and develop empathy for their clients.
The study, conducted by Irani and Richmond (2012), examined the reactions of listeners to pseudostuttering behaviors performed by 43 graduate students in communication disorders. The students engaged in pseudostuttering during on-campus, off-campus, and phone conversations. The findings are based on 129 reported pseudostuttering experiences, offering a robust dataset for analysis.
Key Findings
- Repetitions as Core Behavior: The study found that repetitions were the most frequently reported core behavior during pseudostuttering experiences. This indicates that repetitions are a common choice for students when simulating stuttering.
- Listener Patience: The majority of listeners were reported to be patient, followed by those who were patient but confused. This suggests that while stuttering might initially surprise listeners, many are willing to be patient and understanding.
- Secondary Behaviors: Secondary behaviors such as eye blinks and foot tapping were used more in community settings than on-campus locations, although they were used in only 20.3% of all pseudostuttering experiences.
Clinical Implications
The findings from this study can be directly applied to clinical practice in several ways:
- Emphasizing Repetitions: Since repetitions were the most frequently used core behavior and received relatively positive reactions, practitioners can focus on teaching clients to manage repetitions effectively.
- Building Listener Patience: Training clients to understand that many listeners are patient can help reduce anxiety and improve communication outcomes. Role-playing exercises can be useful in this context.
- Managing Secondary Behaviors: Given the limited use of secondary behaviors, practitioners should educate clients about their potential impact and work on minimizing these behaviors to improve listener reactions.
Encouraging Further Research
The study highlights the need for further research to explore the impact of different core behaviors and listener characteristics on pseudostuttering experiences. Future studies could include a more controlled methodology to determine the specific reactions to various stuttering behaviors.
Practitioners are encouraged to read the original research paper to gain a deeper understanding of the study's findings and their implications for clinical practice. Listener Reactions to Pseudostuttering Experiences.
