Internet Treasures for Kids and Teens Who Stutter, 2004, p. 33ffers for Kids and
By Judith Maginnis Kuster
Materials for children and teens who stutter may not be high on the priority list of items to purchase in some school districts since the caseload may include only a few children to serve. The Internet can help clinicians to augment service delivery for these clients with many free and inexpensive materials.
Learn About Stuttering
Some of the resources below have special sections just for children and adolescents who stutter. Others are resources with excellent general information about stuttering. All are worth exploring.
Online Books
Organizations and individuals have many good books about stuttering that can be purchased. Check the following for examples.
- NSA - www.nsastutter.org/catalog/index.php
- Friends - www.friendswhostutter.org/orderform.asp
- SFA Online store, linked at www.stuttersfa.org/
- Stuttering Home Page Bookstore www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/Bookstore/Bookstore.html - check especially the link to "Children and Young Adult Literature"
There are also several small books and coloring book stories that are freely available online.
Newsletters
Everyone likes to get mail. Three organizations provide newsletters for kids and teens who stutter. Samples of three of those listed below are on the internet and one is exclusively an internet resource.
- Reach Out - www.friendswhostutter.org/reachout.asp
- Stutter Buddies - www.nsastutter.org/subcat/index.php?subid=226
- Kids Speak - www.stutteringcenter.org/Newsletters.htm
- One Voice (for teens) - not online but can be ordered through the NSA.
Tell your own story
The newsletters listed above will often publish submissions. There are also some Internet sites where your story can be published.
- Lily's Fearless Stutter - www.geocities.com/fearlessstutter/
- Just for Kids (www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/kids/kids.html) and Just for Teens (www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/kids/teens.html)
have sections where kids and teens can submit to sections called "Good Stuff," "Glimpses of my Life," "Teasing" and the "Art Gallery."
Making connections
In some school districts, very few children in the speech clinician's caseload may stutter. The Internet can provide opportunities for peer support and discussion about stuttering.
Helping Others Learn
An important goal in therapy for some kids and teens who stutter, is to help them teach others about stuttering. The following articles have good suggestions.
There are also games and puzzles online that provide opportunities to help learn or teach about stuttering.
Judith Kuster is in the department of speech, hearing, and rehabilitation services at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Contact her by email at judith.kuster@mnsu.edu. All of Kuster’s Internet columns are on the ASHA Web site in HTML format with active links http://professional.asha.org/news/news.cfm, although URLs change and there is no guarantee that links from previous articles are still functional.
Kuster, JM, Internet Treasures for Kids and Teens Who Stutter, ASHA Leader, September 21, 2004, p. 14ff