J Commun Disord. 1983 Sep; 16(5): 373-84.

Stutterers' practices: folk remedies and therapeutic intervention.

Rochford EB.

Therapy with stutterers often attempts to eliminate the secondary "tricks" or "crutches" used by stutterers in social interaction. This study challenges such treatment, suggesting that these natural folk remedies are competent practices devised by stutterers to deal with the problematic contingencies posed by social life. Stutterers, rather than being manipulative, are highly attuned to the taken-for-granted structure of everyday interaction. I detail a number of the practices used by stutterers and argue that they comprise part of the ensemble of interactional and conversational practices used by "normal" speakers. The therapeutic implications suggest that therapists work with these natural remedies rather than denigrating them in the course of treatment.