CLINICIAN ATTITUDES TOWARDS STUTTERING - 2 DECADES OF CHANGE

The attitudes of 1,198 speech-language pathologists toward stuttering, individuals who stutter and their parents, therapy, and related issue s were studied between 1983 and 1991. Results of the study were compar ed with results obtained by the investigators in an identical study co nducted between 1973 and 1983 of 674 speech-language pathologists. Amo ng several changes in attitudes observed during the 18-year period wer e the rejection of concepts suggesting parental causality in fluency d isorders, dangers in early intervention, and the perception that indiv iduals who, stutter possess characteristic personality traits. The res ults are interpreted as making a case for enhancing the education of t he profession's general practitioner to serve those who stutter as wel l as developing a cadre of fluency specialists.