When a child who stutters is demonstrating the ability to make changes to their speech in the therapy room, it seems obvious that they’d want to use the same strategies to improve their speech outside of the therapy room as well. Children, especially teenagers, rarely want to stand out in a way that can stigmatize them, provoke questions or increase the chances of teasing. The question then arises, “Why aren’t they using their tools?!”
Speech and stuttering modification techniques are often learned quickly and easily within the therapy setting. However, speech/language pathologists and parents often feel discouraged when knowledge of these techniques seem to disappear as fast as it takes for the child to get to their car in the clinic’s parking lot. Is it laziness on the part of the child? Is it the fault of the family for not following through with home assignments? Is the speech/language pathologist not teaching the correct strategies? Instead of pointing fingers at each other, let’s uncover why speech/stuttering strategies can be difficult and determine how we can best navigate these challenges.
Speech and stuttering modification techniques are often learned quickly and easily within the therapy setting. However, speech/language pathologists and parents often feel discouraged when knowledge of these techniques seem to disappear as fast as it takes for the child to get to their car in the clinic’s parking lot. Is it laziness on the part of the child? Is it the fault of the family for not following through with home assignments? Is the speech/language pathologist not teaching the correct strategies? Instead of pointing fingers at each other, let’s uncover why speech/stuttering strategies can be difficult and determine how we can best navigate these challenges.
