Most Effective Techniques
Hi! I am currently a first year graduate student studying to be an SLP. We are currently in a stuttering class where we have learned so much about stuttering- from the potential causes, to how you should go about treating it. Sometimes all of the information and therapy techniques get overwhelming so I was wondering what, in your experience, is a technique that you feel is most helpful for children?
Thank you!
Thanks for your question. The first things that pop to mind are, Helpful for who? Preschool children, school-age age children, older children? And helpful for what? Enhancing fluency? Modifying stuttering? Desensitizing? Reducing avoidances? Nurturing acceptance? Changing attitudes? Developing overall communication skills? Reducing stigma? Building a general community of support? Educating parents and teachers? Responding to bullying? Etc.
Given the complexities of stuttering, it is understandable that you would want to cut through the complexities and know what to do. But stuttering therapy just doesn’t work that way. Instead of knowing what to do, we have to learn to think critically and problem solve, based on what is known about stuttering at various ages. I am going to link you to my 2017 ISAD paper that describes our efforts in my school district to take a comprehensive approach to stuttering therapy and implement Basic Principle Problem Solving:
https://isad.live/isad-2017/papers-presented-by/research-therapy-and-support/fluency-consulting-in-a-metropolitan-school-district-helping-school-slps-understand-stuttering/
There is so much more to say. For now, I hope this steers you in a helpful direction. Feel free to be in touch at rdellinger@nc.rr.com. Wishing you the best in your studies and career,
Rob Dellinger