[ Contents | Search | Reply | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: Gunars
Date: 18 Oct 2006
Time: 21:42:34 -0500
Remote Name: 67.183.183.115
Dear Bertha, As a 69 year old student in psychology who has stuttered all of my life, I want to tell you my side. It does not matter what came first, stuttering or anxiety. In the end it helps to reduce any source of "speech anxiety". When the child speaks: 1) pay full attention to the child, 2) do not expect or demand that the child will talk more fluently, 3) love him or her without judging his or her speech, 4) take time to just be with him or her (be as relaxed as you can when interacting with him or her), 5) accept him or her as he or she is (stuttering did not stop Winston Churchill from being a great statesman, stuttering did not stop Charles Darwin to become a leading scientist to understand how species evolved, stutterin did not stop Sir Branson to become a billionaire, etc... Dear Bertha, have patience and be assured that it is not your fault that the child stutters. Even though I grew up in an environment where discipline was thought to be important, I believe that for a child who stutters it is important to have parents who are not so disciple oriented. In plain English, let your child do things that other children should not do. Pay attention to him or her when they talk or try to talk. Mask everything else out. Have hope for yourself and your child. Have hope. Gunars