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From: Lynne Shields
Date: 20 Oct 2010
Time: 09:48:30 -0500
Remote Name: 68.188.68.2
Mary, Great questions. If you are presented with an unmotivated child, they probably are not at the point where they will sit down with you and set goals--right now, their goal may be to get out of going to therapy, right? So, I focus on educating them about stuttering and speech processes (anatomy & physiology of speaking and stuttering) through games (such as the Stuttering Jeopardy game that you can access on the Stuttering Homepage under the Just for Kids section), watching videos, reading age-appropriate books with characters who stutter, etc. I work into that talking about their own stuttering. For example, when we watch a clip of another child stuttering, I might ask what they think of the information the video child shared, how that child's stuttering is the same or different from theirs, have they had similar experiences, etc. Once the child is comfortable that you are not out to 'fix' them, they may open up a bit, and actually share something they are interested in changing about their speech. Bingo, you have a goal to work toward now. It might not be a goal you expected or the parents expected, but it gives you a place to begin engaging them about their own stuttering. Treatment may not be long term at this point, if a child truly has no interest in managing his/her stuttering differently than they are currently choosing to do so, but at least you have a child who is more educated about stuttering, and perhaps is aware of some of the ways in which stuttering can be managed. That child may choose to learn some of those techniques on down the road. Hope this is helpful. Thanks for your post. Regards, Lynne