Advice
Hello, my name is Micaela and I am a second-year speech pathology graduate student. I currently have my extern in a middle school. I have noticed many of my students do not care to talk about how they feel at this age or feel uncomfortable implementing strategies in therapy with me. What are some things in speech therapy that you enjoyed or appreciated? I try to make my therapy relatable to what they want but I often get a lot of pushback. I would love to understand what kids in middle school are going through regarding their speech and any advice for working with children who are aware of their speech.
Hi Micaela!
I can definitely relate to this as, at an earlier age, I saw speech therapy like school — as an obligation, a drag, etc. But what helped me was my SLPs talking to me on a personal level, letting me talk about what was bothering me (or even what I enjoyed) outside of therapy.
My SLP is grade school talked to my mom a lot and at one time, my speech wasn’t fluent because I was sad about my grandpa who was in the hospital. My mom had told my SLP this and she had asked me about it and it made me more comfortable to open up. And her tone was crucial — asking me empathetically as opposed to sounding obligated. The latter has happened once or twice, which is a red flag for me.
Hi Micaela and thank you for your important question.
It’s not easy to be young. You’re wondering about your future, your body, your friends, your school results, what to become, etc. Most kids at that age want to fit in. So should you be you, or try to hide who you are and aim to just fit in at all costs? And on top of that, you stutter… So you see an SLP who you think might judge you, count your stutters, use what you say against you (yup, that actually happened to me), so can you trust this person who needs to know the true you to be able to help you?
As that’s exactly what you will have to do. Ask questions. Listen. Don’t start focusing on the stutter, but on the person behind the stutter. Who is s/he. What does s/he want, not only from therapy, but also from life. How are relationships with family, friends, school etc. Tell him/her that you’re not judging, not counting syllables, just finding out where s/he is, and where s/he wants to be.
Show the way to meet others who stutter, like camps, meetings, chat groups (check out Penny’s paper on playing video games with other kids who stutter). But also group therapy to proof they are not alone and can support each other. Let him/meet other adults who stutter. Bring a friend into the therapy room and let them do homework together. But… add fun!! When it’s fun, it’s more likely to continue, and to open up. And when giving assignments, do them yourself too. Don’t give assignments you’re not willing to do. Also offer help to speak to the classroom, you or your client, or maybe someone from a local support group. To talk to the class and/or the teachers (but decide that together).
I recently was at a weekend where a group of PWS who stutter practice public speaking together. With the funniest assignments, that made us ROFL! I had a social studies teacher in school who literally jumped on the table to make a point. Don’t just be the therapist. Be the friend. 🙂
Keep them talking
Anita