Stuttering
Hello, my name is Jaci! I am currently a grad student and have been working as an SLP-Assistant for the past four years in a school setting. I have a variety of students on my caseload who stutter; some in Kinder and some in middle school. Most of the students I work with are aware of their stutter and has negatively impacted them. Does the approach for providing stuttering intervention for a child vary on their age? For specific ethnicities, do you address stuttering in a different way to the child and parent?
Hi Jaci,
You ask a great question. Intervention should vary for each child depending on their age (it must be developmentally appropriate, using language/concepts that they can process,) the impact on their communication, their cultural background and their individual experience. Your therapy needs to be holistic and incorporate cognitive and emotional aspects as well as the speech motor system. It is crucial for families to be involved, which I know can be difficult in the school setting and may be the most difficult aspect of therapy.
Involving the children and their families in a support network can be life changing. It provides information/support to both children and their families. If this is difficult for families, try pairing up your kids at school for a “communication group.” It is important for these children to meet other children who stutter so that they don’t feel alone.
Be a good listener and provide a safe place for children to communicate.
take care,
Rita