Summer Tips to Help Children Who Stutter – Children with speech, reading or learning delays often have progress with delays hampered by summer vacation. The non-profit Stuttering Foundation group has provided OCM with some tips on how to keep a child’s progress with stuttering going through the summer months where the school routine is interrupted.
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According to Jane Fraser, president of the 64-year-old nonprofit Stuttering Foundation, “Stuttering is a very individualized problem. Some children may actually stutter more during the summer because their structure and routine have been taken away — and that stress can cause more disfluencies.”
Top speech-language pathologists agree.
Lisa Scott, Ph.D., of The Florida State University cautions that a break from speech therapy during the summer months may hamper a child’s progress toward more fluent speech.
And for the child not yet in therapy, summer may be a perfect time to begin.
In either case, families with children who stutter must learn how to best modify their summer plans to promote more fluent speech.
Scott reminds parents that summer vacation is not necessarily stress-free.
“Children are often presented with situations or activities that can increase stuttering. Parents can work on making a child’s activities as stress-free as possible,” Scott said. “Be in tune to what conditions stress your child and change those which could result in more stuttering.”
Summer Tips to Help Children Who Stutter
- Speak with your child in an unhurried way, pausing frequently. Wait a few seconds after your child finishes speaking before you begin to speak. Your own slow, relaxed speech will be far more effective than any criticism or advice such as “slow down” or “try it again slowly.”
- Reduce the number of questions you ask your child. Children speak more freely if they are expressing their own ideas rather than answering an adult’s questions. Instead of asking questions, simply comment on what your child has said, thereby letting him know you heard him.
- Use your facial expressions and other body language to convey to your child that you are listening to the content of her message and not to how she’s talking.
The Foundation offers free streaming videos, books, downloadable brochures and a worldwide referral list at Stuttering Help website. Help for parents is also available by calling 800-992-9392.
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About the Stuttering Foundation
Malcolm Fraser felt the same dread of speaking in public that King George VI experienced in the 1940s. Inspired by the plight of “Bertie”, Fraser, a successful businessman and stutterer, went on to establish and endow the 64-year-old nonprofit Stuttering Foundation in 1947. The Stuttering Foundation provides a toll-free helpline, 800-992-9392, and free online resources on its Website.
For more Summer Tips to Help Children Who Stutter, visit www.stutteringhelp.org.