ABSTRACT
It should be clear at this point that the wall of recovery need not be scaled without supports. It is equally apparent, however, that such supports are not always easy to find. Given, then, what a lonely disorder stuttering can be, a fair question to ask is this: How can someone who stutters involve those closest to him or her-siblings, friends, significant others, and par-
With respect to the former two groups, my discussions with people who stutter have convinced me that they present eminently solvable problems. Sure, some brothers or sisters might experience guilt about their own roles in the development of their sibling’s stuttering and need reassurance that they are not at fault. Others could possess lingering resentment if they perceive that the stuttering child received extra attention. It is also true that the person who stutters might find it awkward to talk about a trait that was hidden from friends and a prohibited topic with siblings. For the most part, however, people report that, once they pick spots where these conversations can be broached comfortably, things generally proceed smoothly. Where exactly these spots are vary greatly among different families and friendships.
