Set
aside time to talk to
your child. Turn off the T.V. and telephone,
put away the toys and
try to spend a few minutes a day one-on-one just talking with
your child.
Maintain
eye contact even through a dysfluent episode. Looking away when
your child gets "stuck" on
a word leads them to believe that your are ashamed of their speech
and that
they have done something wrong.
Praise
your child for speaking fluently. Praise
seems to work better than pointing out negative behaviors. If your
child feels good about their speech during periods of fluency, this
may encourage them to continue working towards fluent speech.
Do not finish your child's thought
when they are having difficulty.
Do
not tell your
child to "slow down" or "say that again slower".
Teachers
Always
give your student who
stutters a "warning" that they will be called on. Students who stutter sit and worry
about when it will be his/her turn to talk. This increases
the chances that they will not be fluent
when he/she is finally called upon.
Talk
with the student about his/her stuttering. Ask him/her if he
would like to be called on first (to elliminate a
waiting period) or last
(to prepare himself for speaking).
Be
aware of other students who may be teasing the student
who stutters. Do
not let other students laugh at a student who stutters.
Do
not finish your student's thoughts just because he/she
is having a difficult time getting the words
out. Listen
to your student while maintaining eye contact.
Explain to the student that, like
learning any new skill, when talking we sometimes make mistakes.
Let him know that stuttering in your
classroom is okay and that you like him just the way
he is.
Help all students learn to take turns
talking and listening.
