© The Fluency Trust 2009
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COURSE FEEDBACK
Dear Alex
Re: Harry: Blockbuster Fluency Trust Course - July 2009
Thank you very much for your phone call today and also for the wonderful CD of photos of the course, which we have so enjoyed looking at. Thank you too for the list of addresses - Harry would love to be able to meet up with the children again. He felt he made some good friendships on the course.
We want to thank you, Claire McNeil and Sarah Taylor and everyone else for organising such a fantastic week for Harry. From everything we have seen and heard, and from looking at the photos, we can see what an amazing effort you have all put into this course and we are just so grateful. Thank you very, very much! But it has been so worthwhile for us and Harry. We feel it has been extremely successful and Harry seems to have found a new confidence since attending the course. He feels so much happier about dealing with his stammer difficulties now that he has learned new coping methods and been able to compare notes with the other children on the course. We think the idea of combining speech therapy sessions with a week away with other children on confidence-building outdoor pursuits, such as those held at the Skern Lodge, is an excellent idea and it has helped Harry tremendously in dealing with his stammer. He adored all the challenges and exciting pursuits such as river canoeing, surfing and crate-stacking to name but a few. It has also boosted his confidence to an amazing level - we have noticed a big change in not just his confidence and ability to manage his stammer, but also in his general attitude to other people and life. It feels as if a big burden has been lifted. We cannot stress this enough.
Another huge bonus is that his fluency has improved, but this obviously comes with the new-found confidence. It was so useful for him to meet other children with a stammer and to be able to compare notes and laugh together about the shared frustrations of living with a stammer and of other people's reaction to their stammer. The children were surprised to find that they had all had very similar reactions from people on discovering that they stammered. For instance they found great humour in the fact that one of the most common comments which they had all received at one stage or another was "Oh don't worry about it - I knew someone once who had a stammer and he grew out of it"! Harry was able to learn a great deal in the sessions from the therapists, activity specialists and also from the other children. The concentrated week of therapy and outward-bound activities is an ingenious way of tackling the stammer. It has been such a truly worthwhile and life-enhancing exercise for Harry.
We also feel as a family that we have learned a great deal from the group sessions and interviews we have had with you before and after the course. It has given us new insights into the difficulties facing the stammering child.
It was very helpful, in fact even quite emotional, to talk to other parents and discover that we had all been struggling and dealing with this on our own for a long time. We felt a great sense of solidarity with the other parents and children. It was also very moving to watch the video you had made of an earlier trip with older boys. These boys were very eloquent in describing their lives, and one could see already what value the course had had for them in their new-found camaraderie. The same would definitely be true for the Blockbuster age group.
We feel that we and Harry have been equipped with many more coping strategies and positive ideas for the way forward. We cannot recommend this course highly enough. In fact we strongly that feel that every child in the UK with a stammer should have the opportunity of attending this course.
Many, many thanks to all of you for such inspiring work and such dedication.
With all best wishes from
Jane, Bob, Lucy and of course Harry
