A requirement for coverage is needed that can impact the evaluator and person who stutters.  Some speech language pathologists find it unfavorable to be required by the insurance companies to put a number on the level of disfluency a person might have based on their speech on a certain day.  At this time, it does seem difficult to have an insurer cover speech without some number as an evaluation.  It is important though as a person who stutters to not internalize this number evaluation as what level stuttering should or will affect your ability to communicate.  We know that stuttering is a complex and multifaceted condition for a person that an evaluation is tough to pin down on one given day or time.  I find it comforting and reassuring when a therapist provides this recognition in the evaluation so it might not affect one’s thinking after the evaluation.    

Doug’s experience:  I was told I had a moderate to mild stutter when I was growing up.  I have held this thought ever since that evaluation because as a kid I did not have all the experience to backup one way or the other the severity of my stutter.  The ideology reflected in the decisions I made as a young person.  The requirement only used for the insurance component can put strain on therapist that are working to address the psychological aspects of stuttering.  A therapist and person who stutters might know that the person who stutters does not need to have someone tell them they stutter.    The therapist might think it is mild by definition, but the person who stutters might find it severe to their life, or vice versa.  Nevertheless, the severity of stuttering gets sent as part of the evaluation for insurance to help coverage determination.  The number also is sent to the Provider who wrote a prescription for speech therapy to add to the patient’s chart.