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From: Sophie
Date: 10/16/02
Time: 9:05:10 PM
Remote Name: 165.247.39.212
Aida,
Thank you for your questions.
Here is my attempt to answer them:
1. What are your opinions of the speech demands placed on young children by parents who are not as understanding as yours were during difficult days?
I think many parents, who may not appear on the surface to be as understanding as my parents were, actually have the best intentions in mind. They honestly believe that pushing a child to speak fluently will help him or her speak more clearly. My guess is that if these parents knew more about the true nature of stuttering – e.g., the more we try not to stutter, the more likely we are to stutter – they would stop placing such high speech demands on their children.
2. What suggestions would you give other parents to make them more sensitive to the stuttering of a child?
My main suggestion would be to focus on what the child is saying rather than how he or she is saying it. Parents should realize that stuttering is not an act a child can control in the same way a child can control whether he or she behaves or misbehaves. Reprimanding a child for stuttering or simply correcting his or her speech, will not make the child stop stuttering. It will make the child want to stop, but then when the child discovers that he can't make himself stop, he'll only become frustrated, and (in my opinion) it's that frustration that can cause the stuttering to continue into adulthood.
Another suggestion would be to simply be there for the child – listen to his or her concerns, support his or her decision to pursue or not pursue therapy, etc. It'll be far more helpful than it might appear to be at first.
I hope this answers your questions. If not, I'll happily try again.
Best wishes, Sophie