Question
Hello, I’m also an SLP undergraduate. Thank you so much for participating in this forum. My questions are what would be your best advice to a child who stutters? If you attended therapy as a child and as an adult, did you find yourself more receptive to one experience as opposed to the other? In your opinion, what is the most important quality for an SLP to have, other than knowledge of their profession? Again, thank you.
Hi Porsha,
Thanks for your great questions.
Based on my experience as a parent of a child who stutter I think one of the main pieces of advice to a child who stutters is to try to meet other children who stutter, either face to face or online. If a child can’t make contact with another child, there are many videos of children talking about their stammer and experiences. It really helps to know you are not alone.
Another piece of advice is to talk to people close to you about your stutter, talk about when you don’t feel so good about your speech, talk about when you did something brave, like speaking up in class. And it is really good to ask for help, that means you want to help yourself and figure out how to do things or change things.
I think one of the most important qualities of an SLP is to realise that one size does not fit all and to adapt therapy to the needs of the client, whether they are children or adults. So, I think setting appropriate goals with the client that meet their needs. One person might have a goal of improving fluency and another might want to stutter more openly. At the same time bear in mind that taking a break from therapy might also be an option. I guess I mean providing client-led therapy.
I hope these suggestions are useful,and best of luck with your studies
Veronica
My experiences with teens and young adults who stutter who have mental health issues, it’s mostly because they are not being listened to. They tell me they can’t talk to their parents, they feel “different” and feel they are not being understood, so they withdraw. For most of them it comes back to the fact that stuttering is not the main issue, but people are. Have a look at the presentation of Willemijn (in this and previous years’ ISAD conferences) and Jeffrey (in this year’s conference), both young adults who have been to camps, met peers who became their forever friends and are now paying it forward.
I’d like to say to all kids who struggle with mental health: find your people. It’s really hard to find stuttering pride, when the world around you is telling to that you’re not “normal”. People telling you to not be nervous or to take a deep breath, people telling you there is this quick fix, the media showing movies and documentaries where stuttering is funny or stupid and where someone who’s “cured” is a role model, teachers grading your speech instead of your knowledge, employers judging you, and even the person in the street who can’t wait for you to finish your sentence and that device or answering machine not understanding your words…
Did you see the connection? It’s people. People who know what stuttering is about. Who don’t judge you, see you for who you are and the skills you have, and who include solutions for people who stutter. I changed from pretending I was mute to not have to talk, to someone who’s a stuttering activist, thanks to people. People who told me I am good enough, that my voice (no matter how I speak) is ok to be heard, that I’m a great and intelligent person. People who see the person behind the stutter.
I can’t advice what helps for all, but some ideas are to find ways to express yourself. Through music, art etc. To focus on what you CAN do and what you love doing. To realize everyone has things they don’t like, that being fluent is no garantee for happiness, that stuttering is not who you are, and that you can be a good communicator, stuttering and all.
Meet others who stutter. There are conferences, support groups, camps, chats, groups, etc. There are role models who stutter, but who are successful, and even making a living thanks to their stutter. Follow f ex Nina G, Marc Winski, The organisation STAMMA often shows videos of people who stutter but who are doing their thing anyway.
In short: surround yourself with people who lift you up. And who help you find your voice, to speak up and say what you want to say, and also say what you want and don’t want other people to do or say. We need to claim our right to stutter and make stuttering normal. It’s just the way we speak.
Keep them talking
Anita