The Treatment of Stuttering

by Charles G. Van Riper

Reviews a number of historical and current approaches involving relaxation, reinforcement, and drug treatment and outlines an original therapeutic program. Bibliogs

Hardcover

First published December 31, 1973

About the author

Charles Gage Van Riper (December 1, 1905 – September 25, 1994) was a renowned speech therapist who became internationally known as a pioneer in the development of speech pathology. A severe stutterer throughout his career, he is described as having had the most influence of any speech-language pathologist in the field of stuttering.

Reviews

[Tristan]

Presumably the book on the treatment of stuttering circa 1980--lots of stuff on desensitization. Van Riper has a hell of a voice. It's electric and ecstatic clinical writing.

There is an old Japanese poem which, crudely translated, runs as follows: 'The first time I looked on evil, I said "It is horrible. Take it away!" The second time I looked on evil, I said, "It is curious but it belongs to others. I will avert my eyes." The third time I looked on evil, I cried out, "It is my own!"' This same sequences seems to occur in successful stuttering treatment, and we would hope that a fourth look will lead the stutterer to exchange his evil for something better.