[ Contents | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: Nicky and David Bell
Date: 10/16/02
Time: 9:59:37 PM
Remote Name: 205.188.208.165
Dear Jamie:
Thank you for your question, which we see Sophie has already answered; but if you would like our perspective, we would advise the following:
1) Accept that the child cannot help stuttering; it follows that reprimanding the child would only make matters worse. 2) Consider that the degree of severity of the stutter and the extent to which the child is upset by it may be quite unrelated. In other words, even if the stutter seems rather “slight,” the child may become very upset by it--which may in turn make it worse. 3) Be open and ready to talk about stuttering whenever the child mentions it, so that the child feels there is always someone to turn to, and also you can keep up with how the child's speech may be affecting his or her life. 4) Make sure the child’s teachers are aware of the situation; this could be important because, for example, the child might not respond to questions in class even though he or she knows the answers. 5) To counteract the child’s almost inevitable fear of stuttering, take every opportunity to show that you personally do not view stuttering as a problem. 6) If the child asks for help, try to find a speech pathologist with experience in treating stutterers. 7) Make special efforts to reinforce the child’s self-esteem as often as possible. 8) Encourage activities that do not involve speech—sports, music, singing, dancing, art, and so on. At the same time, do not discourage the child if he or she wants to tackle the problem head-on by, for example, acting, or joining a debating society.
These are just our thoughts, and we'd certainly be interested in any comments.
We hope this helps,
Nicky and David