Educating children on PWS in schools
Hello,
If you can give any advice or words of encouragement to a young child in school regarding themself if they stutter or have a classmate who stutters, what advice would you give them?
Hello,
If you can give any advice or words of encouragement to a young child in school regarding themself if they stutter or have a classmate who stutters, what advice would you give them?
I would do this as a class activity where I’d pick a set of skills (e.g. writing, singing, art, dancing, speech, sports), and ask each child to draw their own profile. Discussing these profiles would automatically drive in the morning concept of differences, accepting them, and the fact that nobody’s perfect!
Hello Dr. Pallavi,
Thank you for your response! I love the class activity.
I can see how it would help children see differences! Beautiful differences, that is.
I feel like it is essential to become aware of any differences at a young age and learn that no one is perfect or that one way is the best way!
Thank you again!
Correction:
*Or that one way or difference is no better than another! I knew what I wanted to say, but I had to add this correction.
Ellie,
HI! Welcome to the IsAD? Where are you writing from?
As Professional, and person who stutters, I would encourage young children who stutter, and who don’t stutter, to appreciate each other. To practice listening to each other. To practice the process of caring and being kind to each other. These are values and they are actions that are also skills. We can’t be kind enough. We can’t be open enough. We can’t listen with caring and compassionate ears enough. These things take practice and encouragement. These are things kids can learn from adults who model them, and who talk about these things over and over. That is where we can start.
Great question. Keep asking them!
With compassion and kindness,
Scott
Hello Scott,
I’m currently a student at California State University of Fullerton and plan to become a speech language pathologist! I am taking a fluency course with Dr. Tsao, and her focus in the course is to do no harm. She emphasizes being there for the client/student and really listen to them and show kindness. She emphasizes that it is okay to stutter and brings awareness to the negative experiences that PWS may experience both in therapy and on a daily basis.
I love that advice and those words are so powerful! To appreciate one another and practice kindness and active listening is really a skill and it is important to model this to children at a young age! I’ve discussed with my family what I’ve learned so far and I am forever grateful that I’m taking this course and being in this conference so that I can have a positive impact on PWS and the community’s lives!
Thank you for your response.
Ellie,
Thank you for asking this question to the professional panel, and I second the things that my colleagues have already said. Dr. Ying Tsao is an amazing human being, and I have had the opportunity to work with her some in the past; do tell her Steff Lebsack says hi! 🙂
With your question- I love doing generalized awareness activities with young children to highlight differences that make people unique. One thing I love to do in speech therapy groups, is to talk about one thing that makes you, you. I usually go first. I like to tell the group something like: I am Ms. Steff (that’s what they typically call me), and I am me because I can speak Spanish. My dad and brother can speak Spanish too and it’s so cool to be able to communicate with other people that speak Spanish. That makes me special.” and each student goes around and talks about something that makes them special. Sometimes a student will say something like, they were born in a different country, and we look up that country and talk about it. It’s such a fun activity and it’s pretty easy to incorporate goals into it (even articulation goals) as speech therapy groups in the public school setting are often times a combination of goals/speech differences. I end the activity with a wrap-up discussion of a review and then kind of an, “isn’t it neat that we are all different and all have things that make us unique? it’s ok for us all to be different and unique” type thing.
I hope that helps give you an activity idea. Be well!
Thanks,
Steff
Hi Ellie
I’d like to add to the great advice already given by SLPs, by telling you about my experiences as a PWS talking in schools.
I had a project where I visited schools to talk about stuttering. Now that was hard, as most schools “didn’t have CWS” (but after telling my story kids raised their hands telling me, and showing their teacher, they too stutter), and that they “already know about stuttering” (when I ask, they say they don’t think stuttering is a problem, and when I ask how they know that and if they had spoken to the student, the answer is a loud silence…)
During my visit I talked about my life as a PWS who stutters, the tough moments, the bullies etc, but also about the children camps where we get to do all fun stuff, the ISAD where I get presents and ice cream, I tell them I’ve travelled the world thanks to my stutter, I give a present to the CWS (a button) and bring my DAF for the other kids to try, and as most of them start to panic, laugh and even stutter, it gives them a tiny insight what it’s like to not being able to say your words. I also give advice on how the class, kids and teachers, can help, and if possible, I ask the CWS to take this opportunity to tell the class what s/he wants the class to do and not do. I tell them we who stutter are super heroes, doing things that are hard, but doing it every day. I often have to give autographs, children tell me they want to be my friend, and the CWS is now the superhero.
I already mention an exercise in my article https://isad.live/isad-2021/papers-presented-by/stories-and-experiences-with-stuttering-by-pws/from-prejudice-to-pride-anita-s-bl/
When I spoke to children in schools about stuttering and bullying, I always asked what they were good at. Many hands and many answers. When I asked what they were not so good at, less hands, but still honest answers. I showed them that we all are good at something, and all are less good at something. Which is great, as that means we all can ask someone for help, and we all can help someone, and feel pride to do so. For who wants to be with a person who’s good at everything, right? ?
Kids are the easy part, as they understand pride. It’s the teachers and principals you have to get passed…
Bappy ISAD and keep them talking
Anita