Classroom resources
Hi experts! I was curious if you guys had and/or knew of any good resources or ideas that could be used to show and explain stuttering to an elementary class that had a PWS in it, especially if the PWS was getting picked on?
Hi experts! I was curious if you guys had and/or knew of any good resources or ideas that could be used to show and explain stuttering to an elementary class that had a PWS in it, especially if the PWS was getting picked on?
Hello, Kailee,
A quick response –
Dr. J. Scott Yaruss, one of the experts on this panel is co-owner of Stuttering Therapy Resources, which develops products that might interest you.
I authored a chapter book for readers from 9 to 12 years old entitled, “Jason’s Secret,” in which the title character, Jason, is 10 and desperately trying to hide his stuttering problem when he begins 5th grade in a new school. With the help of his school speech pathologist, he learns how to better manage his problem. And with the help of a newly made friend at school, he learns to cope with bullying from classmate.
Best wishes,
Ellen-Marie
HI Kailee – Thanks to Ellen-Marie for the kind mention. Yes, indeed, we have resources specifically designed for helping to educate children in a class about stuttering, and these are particularly designed to involve the child who stutters to help empower him or her to respond appropriately and effectively to bullying. (We have some free resources at http://www.StutteringTherapyResources.com under “resources.”) And, I can absolutely recommend Ellen-Marie’s book, Jason’s Secret. It is a great resource for opening up a discussion of how to cope with stuttering during the school years.
Other organizations, such as the National Stuttering Association, Friends, SAY, and the Stuttering Foundation, also have helpful materials that you might want to consider. Fortunately, helping children in the school-age years learn to cope with stuttering has become a topic of interest for many authors in recent years, and the number of resources has increased. It’s still a challenging problem, and it takes the care and guidance of the parents, teachers, and clinicians – but working together, we can make a difference to help children educate their classmates about stuttering.
Thanks for asking this question — the more we share information about helping children who stutter, the better for everyone!
Scott
==
J Scott Yaruss, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-F, F-ASHA
University of Pittsburgh, PA
Hi,
Many exceptional materials related to this issue are gathered on the following websites (to name just a few):
•The International Stuttering Association: http://www.isastutter.org/CDRomProject/
•The Stuttering Foundation: http://www.stutteringhelp.org/resources-teachers
•The National Stuttering Association: http://www.westutter.org/who-we-help/educators/
•The British Stammering Association: http://www.stammeringineducation.net/england/primary/
•The Michael Palin Centre/Action for Stammering Children:
http://www.stammeringcentre.org/teacher-information
I would also like to recommend several books published in England which have been prepared especially for teachers who are working with stuttering children. These are as follows: Elaine Kelman, Alison Whyte: Understanding Stammering and Stuttering. A Guide for Parents, Teachers, and Other Professionals, 2012; Lena Rustin, Frances Cook, Willie Botterill, Cherry Hughes, Elaine Kelman: Stammering: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Other Professionals, 2002; Trudy Stewart: Stammering. A Resource Book for Teachers, 2016.
I have found a lot of valuable information related to the issue of bullying in stuttering in the book: Minimizing Bullying for Children Who Stutter: A Practical Guide for SLPs, by William P. Murphy, Robert W. Quesal, Nina Reardon-Reeves, J. Scott Yaruss, 2013 (the Authors prepared a workbook for teachers).
Kristin Chmela in her book (Focus on Fluency. A Tool Kit for Creative Therapy, 2006) gives some practical tips on how to educate classmates about stuttering and how to prepare a classroom presentation on this topic.
Me personally, I very much like a fairy tale written originally in German by Peter Schneider (Was ist ein U-U-Uhu? Ein Mutmachbuch für stotternde Kinder), which was translated into English and it is entitled: Who who who goes hoo hoo hoo? (it was published by Speechmark in England). This beautiful book could be used with very young children to promote the idea of acceptance of differences. Working in a class with the book gives a teacher an opportunity to empower the child who stutters. The brief supplement for adults with basic information about stuttering has also been added to this book. I had the privilege to bring this book to my country – Poland, since the Polish version is now available so the Polish teachers and SLPs can use it as well (in Polish it is entitled: Kto-kto-kto robi hu-hu-hu?).
Katarzyna Węsierska, Poland