The Prof Is In

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Re: Parent Coping Strategies

From: Jean Sawyer
Date: 10 Oct 2010
Time: 11:36:50 -0500
Remote Name: 71.113.161.93

Comments

Hi Judy, I am glad that the parent has you to talk to about her feelings about her child's disfluency. I find it is helpful for parents to have an outlet for their feelings about their child's stuttering, and in my work with children who stutter, I build time in for the parent in every session. Counseling skills are helpful here, as by listening to and valuing the parent's feelings, you can guide the parent to coming to his or her own solutions. In this particular case, I might have said something like, "It must be so hard to hear your child be so disfluent." I would have also asked how the parent felt when he or she asked the child about it, and how the child reacted, in an attempt to help the parent come to his or her own strategy for coping with future times when the child becomes disfluent (e.g., calling attention to it, reminding the child to do techniques, or ignoring it). I would probably also point out that the parent is very perceptive that all the excitement made the child more disfluent, and that the friends are accepting of the stutter. There is a lot going on here because it involves the relationship between the parent and the child, and the parent's coping with stuttering. The parent obviously has a trusting relationship with you, as he or she was able to share this with you. Connecting with other parents of children who stutter in support groups such as Friends or NSA is another recommendation I can make. Good luck to you, Judy, in your work with this parent. Jean


Last changed: 10/23/10