The NSP can possibly put you in touch with other parents who know
what you are experiencing. And you can become a member of Aaron's
Associates, an organization especially designed for children 11 and
under and their loved ones. (See their address at the end of this
brochure.)
INTERACTING WITH YOUR CHILD
- Examine what is going on when you interact with your child to
determine if something you are doing may be contributing to his or her
anxiety.
- Here's an example. Your child is speaking and begins to stutter.
In an attempt to be helpful, you respond with a comment like, "Slow down
and take your time, Bobby. " First of all, the child is incapable of
slowing his or her own speech down for more than a few moments. You are
asking them to do something they cannot. Secondly, and more importantly,
two children may react very differently to this simple comment. One may
hear it as a helpful suggestion for expressing himself more freely.
However, another child may feel personally rejected, as though the form
of his speech was all that counted; as if the stuttering was something
he should not be doing.
- You may have said "Slow down" because you wanted to suggest ways
he could talk more easily. You may have been truly concerned about what
your child was saying and yet finding it hard to follow him/her.. Or it
may have been a reaction to the unpleasantness of his stuttering. You
will have to examine your own feelings to know which is true for you.
Maybe you have never said this particular phrase to your child, but
there may be other phrases, ways in which you use your body, facial
gestures, or other non-verbal ways which perhaps made your child feel
that he was doing something wrong when he stuttered.
- Keep in mind that slowing the child's manner of speech down is a
very valid goal, but you can achieve this more effectively by modeling a
relaxed, unhurried manner of speech yourself. If you are telling the
child to slow down, but talking rapidly yourself, the child is more
likely to follow your example than your instructions. Please seek the
guidance of a speech-language professional to guide you in just how to
model this kind of speech.
"IT COMES AND GOES"
- You have undoubtedly noticed that the amount of stuttering will
fluctuate, sometimes very dramatically. It will disappear or be better
one day and worse another. It may disappear for days or weeks at a time
and then come back suddenly.
- You may be tempted to think that all increases in your child's
stuttering are related to what is happening emotionally. Speech is a
motor skill and tends to break down more when the child is under stress,
but there may be other reasons. For example, increases in severity may
be related to what is happening to your child's physical makeup. Your
child's neurological system is not stagnant (neither is yours for that
matter), but can go "in and out of sync" due to conditions like illness,
fatigue, excitement, or simple biorhythms.
- Please remember, however, that each child is unique and nothing
will be true for all children who stutter. You may want to keep track
of the severity of the stuttering in a journal along with any unusual
events in the child's environment. The patterns that show up here may
give you some insights into the individual patterns of your child's
stuttering, and help you and your clinician find ways to reduce the
problem.
REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
-
Many parents are tempted to think, especially when they have
obtained speech therapy for their child, that the stuttering should be
amenable to treatment or is a problem the child should learn to control
on his or her own. They believe that the child should be able to learn
what they "are doing wrong" and then start talking like all the other
kids. They notice that the child is fluent much or at least some of the
time, and think, "If they can do it some of the time, they should be
able to do it all the time." In light of what we stated above, we know
that these assumptions are not appropriate for children who stutter.
- Have realistic expectations of your child. It is true that early
therapeutic invention, before the child goes to school, can often
alleviate the stuttering altogether. However, despite heroic efforts on
the parents' or the therapist's part and total love and acceptance from
all, the stuttering may still persist in some children into their
teenage years and beyond. You must consider the fact that stuttering
can be a chronic disorder.
- Have realistic expectations of speech therapy also, especially
with the school-age child. You may witness your child being very fluent
in a clinical setting, for example, especially if they respond well to
the therapist, and still have a lot difficulty outside the clinic or
therapy room. This is natural. The stuttering will naturally fluctuate
according to the kinds of communication the child is asked to perform,
as well as where he or she is asked to perform them.
CREATING A "SAFE" HOME ENVIRONMENT
-
Just as you try to make your home environment safe in other
areas, you must make it a safe place in which to speak. Many of the
Suggestions later on in this brochure speak to this point. You want to
make your child feel comfortable talking to you and others even if he
stutters. You want your child to find enjoyment in talking. Frequent
reminders that he is stuttering or that he should try hard to be fluent
may make him feel less comfortable talking.
- In general, encourage a lot of talking; model gentle, slow and
comfortable speech; design fun speaking experiences (reading stories or
poems aloud, choral reading - the child will probably experience more
fluency in these activities); make sure time pressure is not put on the
child when their turn comes to speak; build on your child's confidence
in all areas by constantly reinforcing them for what they do well; and
make sure that his or her siblings react in a positive way to the
stuttering.
- An experienced speech-language pathologist can aid you in the
proper way to facilitate these constructive activities and attitudes.
TALKING ABOUT IT
-
Having a home environment in which open, caring communication goes
on between you and your child is very important. We encourage you to
sit down with your child and talk about his or her stuttering and the
way you both experience it. Beware of the Green Hippopotamus Syndrome.
In many homes the stuttering becomes like a green hippopotamus standing
in the living room. It definitely stands out, everyone notices it, but
no one talks about. DO NOT MAKE STUTTERING A TABOO SUBJECT. Not
talking about the child's difficulty can be interpreted by him or her to
mean that stuttering is something wrong and shameful.
- Use your instincts here. Many children will just stutter away
very naturally, unaware that there is anything different about them.
This does not mean that they are totally unaware of the stuttering
however. You might still talk to them casually about it, to reassure
him or her that it will be all right. If the child is definitely aware
of it, if it becomes a visible struggle for them, acknowledging it
openly is very important. Your child is not too young to understand.
We sometimes underestimate what children can understand; they know and
can accept a lot! Even if the child cannot express directly what he or
she is needing, your concern will have been communicated. It is this
kind of communication that is so important in getting the child to
feel free about talking.
SUGGESTIONS FROM TWO EXPERTS
Dorvan Breitenfeldt, Ph.D., Eastern Washington University
- The goal is to keep the child's stuttering at its present
level, prevent its further development, and keep the child talking.
- Don't let the child know you are upset about his speech.
- Keep your child healthy, getting adequate sleep and proper
nutrition, and follow a general routine schedule.
- Look at your child when s/he speaks and show by your
expression that you are interested in what s/he is saying, not how s/he
is saying it.
- Refrain from teaching tricks (deep breaths, finger snapping,
arm waving).
- Don't force the child to speak or recite to strangers.
However, encourage the child to speak as often as s/he wants.
- Accept your child as s/he is; don't reject him/her or give
him/her the impression of rejection.
- Don't let your child avoid normal responsibilities. Use the
same discipline as with any other child.
- Don't supply words. Let your child get his/her words out
himself. Don't interrupt.
- Look for emotional tension at home or school when stuttering
is very bad.
- Praise your child when s/he speaks well; but this should not
be taken as praise for not stuttering; praise what s/he says, not how
s/he says it.
- Help your child develop constructive work and hobby
activities. Give positive feedback and reinforcement.
- The child should not be required to hurry with speaking nor
should you develop the attitude that s/he should.
- Model a relaxed manner of speech when talking to the child.
Maintain a calm, reassuring, unhurried manner with slow speech.
- Avoid suggestions as: "Think before you speak." "Talk slower
(or faster)." "Wait until you can say it." etc.
- Don't ask the child to substitute an easy word for a hard one
as this will only increase the fear of certain words and phrases.
- Encourage speaking at home and in school.
- Nothing can ever take the place of love, understanding and
patience when dealing with children, any children.
Peter Ramig, Ph.D., of the University of Colorado in Boulder.
- Beginning at a very young age, associate talking with pleasant
activities. Use a pleasant manner when speaking to the child. For
example, while rocking or holding the child, talk about daily activities
or events.
- Prompt spontaneous conversation on the part of the child by
waiting silently for the child to initiate the conversation during free
play.
- Help your child express his/her feelings both verbally and
non-verbally by doing so yourself.
- Read to your child in a relaxed manner that is slightly slower
than normal and has a natural rhythm.
- Don't ask your child to stop and start over when s/he
stutters.
- Try to act the same way when your child stutters as when s/he
is speaking fluently.
- Calmly acknowledge the occurrence of any long effortful or
forceful disfluencies especially if your child indicates concern and/or
awareness of these obvious disruptions. A simple statement like "That
was hard for you, wasn't it?" can defuse some of the child's concern and
show him/her that the same lapses do not upset you.
- Avoid using the word "stuttering" to describe your child's
speech when talking to him/her or to someone else. Instead, use
descriptive words-"gets stuck," "hard talking," "bumpy speech," etc.
However, if the child is well aware of the disfluencies and refers to
them as stuttering, it would be unnatural for everyone else to avoid
using the word.
- Do not push your child to speak on days when s/he is extremely
disfluent.
- After a disfluent utterance, you might repeat back the
content of what the child said. This will help you make sure you are
attending to the content of what is said, and help to reduce his/her
memory of the disfluency. In addition, you are telling the child you
are listening to him/her.
- Talk openly with your child about stuttering, if s/he
expresses a desire to do so, but do not make a big issue out of it.
- Remember, a child develops his attitude about talking by
observing his parents' behaviors. Take advantage of every opportunity
to see that the child experiences some form of success and praise.
- Do not reward the child with sweets. Keep his/her intake of
refined sugar at an absolute minimum. This includes closely monitoring
his/her consumption of candy, soft drinks, bakery goods, etc.
- Traumatic events such as illness, accidents, and emotional
conflicts, cannot be avoided. However, be aware that such events may be
accompanied by more disfluency in your child's speech.
- Parents should intervene if brothers and/or sisters tease the
disfluent child. Take the sibling(s) out of sight and sound of the
disfluent child, and talk to them. Chances are that if the child's
siblings are non-critical, the neighbors, friends and other relatives
will treat the child's disfluencies the same way.
- When your child is experiencing a period of increased
disfluency, try to provide him/her with successful speaking experiences.
Encourage choral speaking, singing, recitation of nursery rhymes, etc.
- The parents should provide a good model by speaking calmly
and reducing their rates. This is more effective than telling the child
to slow down.
- Give your full attention to the child when you listen to
him or her.
- Be careful not to convey a sense of time pressure. Modeling
good slow speech will help here. "Brisk" turn taking and frequent
interruptions can convey a sense of time pressure and should be
minimized.
- When the child is experiencing a period of increases
nonfluency, try to provide him/her with successful speaking experiences.
Encourage choral speaking, singing, recitation of nursery rhymes,
rhythmic speaking using puppets, etc.
- Promote spontaneous conversation on the part on the part of
the child by waiting silently for the child to initiate the conversation
during free play. Reinforce the child's responses with smiles and
praise by touching.
- Provide a variety of entertaining language experiences, such
as trips to the zoo, amusement park, museums, etc. Talk about each
experience with the child.
- Parents should try to remove the stigma attached to
stuttering which the child may be experiencing. One way to do this is
by occasionally modeling unforced stuttering behaviors so the child
begins to realize everyone is disfluent sometimes, and that it can be
done easily and without tension.
- Nonfluencies are the result of many factors over which
children and adults have little or no control. Therefore, no one is to
blame for the disfluencies.
- Children who stutter are no different from other children
except that they have trouble getting words out. Your child is not to
be considered maladjusted or traumatized in some way just because s/he
stutters.
- There is nothing "wrong" or "bad" about stuttering.
- Stuttering is a complex problem that usually requires help to
solve it. We encourage seeking the help of a certified speech-language
pathologist with expertise in stuttering.
- Stuttering is one problem which there is help and a great
deal of hope for. It can be overcome.
Things to Do
For more advice and for a possible referral to an experienced
speech-language pathologist contact the National Stuttering Project.
Become a member of the NSP, a non-profit organization in need
of your financial support. You'll love the monthly newsletter, Letting
Go.
The Stuttering Foundation of America also has a number of great books
at very reasonable prices. Among these are: "If Your Child Stutters: A
Guide for Parents ; "Treating the School-Age Stutterer ;
"Do You Stutter: A Guide for Teens". Order from the Stuttering Foundation of America: P.O. Box 11749, Memphis, TN 38111 (or call 1-800-992-9392).
EXAMPLES OF BOOKS AND TAPES FROM THE NATIONAL STUTTERING PROJECT
"ADVICE TO PARENTS BY SEVEN EXPERTS ON STUTTERING" -- 90 minute cassette tape. -- Seven experts on childhood stuttering offer practical advice to parents. Includes practical tips on when a child should be brought in
to therapy and provides insights on what such a program entails.
"STUTTERING PREVENTION: A CLINICAL MANUAL" -- This excellent pamphlet
is written by Woody Starkweather, Ph.D., of Temple University. The
pamphlet further develops ideas contained in the guide you are now
reading. (This is also available on the Stuttering Home Page, here
"A PERSONAL MESSAGE FOR TEENAGERS" -- National Stuttering Project
Executive Director John Ahlbach talks heart-to-heart in this 50-minute
videotape designed for teenage viewers. .
"LOST BOYS NEVER SAY DIE" -- Readers age 10 and up will enjoy this
wonderful story about the troubles and ultimate triumph of an 11-year-
old boy who stutters.
Additional information and order forms available at the NSP Bookstore
Back to Stuttering Home Page