Parents who notice their young child beginning to stutter should seek help right away; and help is available at most public libraries.
In the past, experts incorrectly believed that paying attention to a child’s stuttering would exacerbate the situation. It was even feared that offering the child therapy “would arouse the child’s awareness and cause more stuttering,” said Ehud Yairi, speech-language pathologist and researcher at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and Tel-Aviv University.
However, research by Yairi published in the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research reveals that all children may be aware of the differences between fluent speech and stuttering as early as age three, and that they often display a social preference for fluent-speaking children by the time they are four years old.
“These findings should provide support to the important idea that we should shift from a ‘hands-off’ approach to more direct therapy techniques, and even more so with school-age children” added Barry Guitar, Ph.D., of University of Vermont.
“Any time parents are concerned about a child’s fluency,” notes Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation, “they should educate themselves about the disorder and the many ways they can work to prevent stuttering from becoming a chronic problem.”
The book, If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents, also available in Spanish, answers questions that parents and teachers often have. Written by leading experts, it describes the difference between normal disfluencies and stuttering and gives tips for parents of ways to help their child immediately.
Books and DVDs produced by the 65-year-old nonprofit Stuttering Foundation are available free to any public library. A library that will shelve them can contact the Foundation at 1-800-992-9392, e-mail info@stutteringhelp.org, or visit www.stutteringhelp.org or www.tartarmudez.org.
This book was offered to all the public libraries in your county. Here is the list of the libraries that received the free book and agreed to shelve it. We cannot guarantee that it is currently on the shelf.
Kahuku Public Library; Kahuku, HI
Kaimuki Public Library; Honolulu, HI
Kaneohe Public Library; Kaneohe, HI
Salt Lake Public Library; Honolulu, HI
Wahiawa Public Library; Wahiawa, HI
Waialua Public Library; Waialua, HI
Contact us at info@stutteringhelp.org for other PR options. National Stuttering Awareness Week is the second week in May. International Stuttering Awareness Day is October 22nd.
The following 7 Tips for talking with your child can be used as an accompanying sidebar.
7 Tips for talking with your child
1. Speak with your child in an unhurried way, pausing frequently.
2. Reduce the number of questions you ask your child.
3. 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.
4. Set aside a few minutes at a regular time each day when you can give your undivided attention to your child.
5. Help all members of the family learn to take turns talking and listening.
6. Observe the way you interact with your child.
7. Above all, convey that you accept your child as he is.