Stuttering and fluency are on the brain this week. For families with school-age children, September is a mix of excitement for the start of school and the stress of establishing new schedules and routines. For students with fluency concerns, the general “busy”-ness of back to school can be a trigger for increased stuttering. As we described in our Welcome post, Sundays are focused on sharing support. Today we address the who, what, where, when and why questions that can help the decision-making process about what to do with concerns about stuttering.
Who can help students with stuttering?
Speech-Language Pathologists can help, and are trained to provide direct therapy. Direct or individual therapy generally targets stuttering at 3 levels:
1) The student’s thoughts and attitudes about their stuttering
2) The behavioural responses the student has in moments of, or anticipated moments of, stuttering
3) The emotional responses that threaten self-esteem and confidence
What can teachers and family members do?
The answer: a lot! Check out the highly recommended back to school resources written specifically for teachers and family members. These tips highlight important behaviours that you should engage in to be a good communicator.
One of the biggest things good communicators can do is decrease pressure around speaking, by modeling slowness in their own speech…and stay away from saying statements such as “slow down”. If you have questions about what to do, ask the student’s speech-language pathologist for guidance and recommendations. An S-LP is your resource too!
Where can students get speech therapy?
Most students who stutter can be referred to their school speech-language pathologist. Families can also access their extended health benefits plans for coverage for private speech therapy. Private therapy can be costly, but by maximizing the use of private plan coverage, this can be an excellent option.
When should a student receive therapy for stuttering?
Stuttering can negatively impact the following:
1) self-esteem
2) confidence to speak in front of groups
3) development of friendships
4) academic success
If any of these areas are being negatively impacted by stuttering, students should be offered speech therapy so that improved management techniques and strategies can be learned. If stuttering is present in school age children, it is never too early (or late!) for intervention.
Why go to speech therapy?
Speech therapy can:
a) make speaking easier
b) help parents understand stuttering
c) help teachers make things easier for students
It is important to have a ‘good fit’ with a speech therapist. For more information about stuttering and speech therapy, we highly recommend you check out the website for The Stuttering Foundation of America. You are also welcome to call Stillwater Speech Therapy at 902 826 3051, or email anytime.
Talk soon,
Julie
