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From: Tim Mackesey
Date: 10/12/03
Time: 7:50:08 PM
Remote Name: 68.154.45.144
Good questions.
I never mention it with kids younger than 7. Eye contact aversion goes away with all the secondary symptoms in my direct model. It is never singled out as a symptom.
In my experience stuttering starts "locking in" after age 7ish. 2-7 is Piaget's Preoperational Stage and memory is still developing. After 7 they really start being singled out by their peers for stuttering and recall questions, teasing, etc. I have done my role play exercise (as demonstrated in the article)with kids under 10. The language is adapted appropriate to their age.
With those appropriate for help with it, I address it in the first visit. Why? The cognitions and affect (their internal state) drive external behaviors. Again, I lead the child to decide that he/she does NOT want to keep doing it. I note that when they begin to avert and then look back the stutter loosens or terminates in most cases. Hence, this speeds a change in stuttering severity. A kid who stutters is not going to be able to use any speech target successfully- with relaxed articulators- as they avert eye contact. When eyes are averted out of self-consciousness and fear of listener reaction, the body tenses (mind/body connection). It is also very empowering when they take charge of a behavior that was unconscious. The kids become more confident quickly. It is also desensitizing for them to held eye contact as they release a stutter. I will pace them and ask how it feels to "be in charge." I will often invite the parents in at the end and have the child educate the parent about the new skill they have. As they demonstrate for the parent, they begin transfer. They will be more prone to doing it at home. I finish by future pacing: "Where do you want to start keeping eye contact right away?"
You may gather more pertinent info from a new article on my website (www.stuttering-specialist.com) called "IS=EB" -Internal State = External Behaviors.
Remember: the key is guide the person into deciding they want to change the behavior.
Cheers, Tim