Question
Hello! My name is Michelle, and I am a speech-language pathology graduate student. What strategies can be used to support parents of preschoolers who may be at risk for persistent stuttering? And what are the best ways to address parents’ concerns who suspect their child may be stuttering? Thank you!
Hi Michelle!
Generally speaking, some or all of the things below help:
1. Explaining in detail what you did in your assessment session and the meaning of your findings.
2. Putting parents in touch with other parents whose children have persistent stuttering
3. Anecdotal evidence of people who have persistent stuttering as adults and have a good quality of life
4. Analogous examples to explain the persistent nature of the tendency the child has (e.g being slightly overweight, baldness, having a tendency for asthma, or spectacles)
5. Bibliotherapy (giving them resources to read and get back to you with queries if any).
Other that what is listed above, every parent-child dyad is unique and will have their own obstacles that will need unique solutions. Your job is to absorb all the information you hear and see, to be able to help them in the best way possible.
Hope that helps!
Pallavi