Education.com

A Message for Parents of School-Age Children Who Stutter

National Stuttering Association

As children who stutter grow older, and as they learn to deal with their stuttering, they may face a number of new challenges. Fortunately, there is much you can do to help your child through this potentially difficult time. The NSA’s goal is to help you learn that help is available and that you and your child are not alone in facing stuttering.

 

School-age children are old enough to realize that they did not “grow out of” their early stuttering. In fact, by the time they reach first grade, many children have been stuttering for more than half their lives. With this realization comes a growing awareness of the fact that stuttering may not simply “go away,” as the child may have hoped when he was younger. As the child begins to recognize that stuttering is something that may stay with him throughout his life, he may experience increased frustration and concern about his speech. For this reason, school-age children in particular need the full support of their parents and clinicians, as well as the other people in their environment, to help them understand what they are experiencing.

 

It is important for children to understand that they will not always stutter in the same way as they do now, and that their stuttering will not always be severe. Indeed, all children who stutter can learn to improve their speech fluency and enhance their ability to communicate effectively, and it is critical that children who stutter maintain a sense of hope and optimism as they learn to effectively cope with stuttering in their lives.

 

If parents wish to help their children work through their feelings about stuttering, they must have faith in the idea that children’s speech can improve over time. They must also move toward acceptance of the fact that their child stutters so they will not keep searching for the “quick fix” that may seem to help children in the short run, but ultimately contribute to long-term concerns about stuttering. These can be difficult steps for parents to take, and it is often difficult to sort out which treatment options are most beneficial in the long run.

View Full Article

Add your own comment

Ask a Question

Have questions about this article or topic? Ask
Ask
150 Characters allowed

Washington Virtual Academies

Tuition-free online school for Washington students.