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From: Lynne Shields
Date: 10/9/03
Time: 3:31:49 PM
Remote Name: 199.217.208.172
Hi, Carol,
I'm not sure if you are asking whether seeing this child for therapy will unduly increase his awareness, or, if it is advisable for you to directly talk about his stuttering as a part of therapy. Perhaps you can clarify that for me.
Given the child's reactions to his speech, as indicated by struggle behaviors, I'd say that he is certainly aware, at some level, that he is having trouble talking. It might be helpful for you to interview him to find out exactly what he thinks about his speech. I generally start off asking young children to tell me what things they are good at doing, then what things are hard for them to do. If speech doesn't come up, I work my way around to asking them how good they are at talking. If this little guy is quite aware and can talk about it, it would probably be a good idea to be very open about his stuttering, using the vocabulary that he uses to describe his speech (bumpy, rough, stuck speech, etc.).
In my experience, young children who are aware of their stuttering are often interested to learn about stuttering and ways they can manage their speech. It helps them develop a good attitude about their speech and keeps stuttering from becoming a taboo topic.
I'll be interested to hear more about your specific concerns.
Regards,
Lynne