July 30, 2014

Stuttering Therapy for Children

26 minutes

How to conduct stuttering therapy with children

On, this episode of the speech and language kids podcast, Carrie Clark reviews the current research on stuttering therapy for children. You will also learn how to conduct this therapy yourself. Note: This information is not intended to replace the guidance of a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP). Every child is different and only a licensed SLP will know exactly what kind of therapy is best for your child. This information is intended to assist SLPs with knowing the best approach to therapy to take as well as to help parents understand the therapy process.

News/Updates:

Before getting into the content, I announced on the podcast that I will be writing a full-length e-book about Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Show Notes:

Stuttering in Preschoolers

typical to go through phases of stuttering

warning signs that stuttering may be persistent and not resolve on own

A parent, sibling, or other family member who still stutters

Stuttering starts after age 3 ½

Stuttering has been occurring for at least 6 months

Preschooler is a male

The child has other speech sound errors or trouble being understood

The child’s language skills are advanced, delayed, or disordered

Source: http://www.stutteringhelp.org/risk-factors

So What Therapy is Most Effective?

Younger children: systematic review in 2006 by Bothe, et. al. found that the response-contingency approach

Source: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/1058-0360(2006/031)

What is Response-Contingency Therapy for Stuttering?

For a full article on this topic, visit the link below:

http://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/stop-stuttering-preschoolers-current-research-based-methods/

Reinforce fluent (non-stuttered) speech

While playing with the child, comment on utterances that the child says that do not have any stutters. You can say “oh I like how smooth that was” or “you say that without any bumps!”.

If the child stutters frequently, try an activity that requires the child to use shorter utterances. For example, you could play a game that requires the child to say a short sentence, like “Go Fish” (ex: “Do you have a ball?”). If the child still stutters on these, back up to even shorter sentences, like having the child use one word to name an object in a picture. Then, praise the fluent speech as above.

If you need to shorten the utterance length down to have stutter-free speech, gradually build the utterance length back up by choosing slightly more demanding tasks.

Give direct corrective feedback for stuttering

As soon as the child begins to stutter, corrective feedback should be given. The research has shown that many different types of corrective feedback have worked so it doesn’t much matter what it is. One study found that turning off the lights over a puppet that the child was talking to was effective. Here are some ways that Bothe and Ingham suggest you can try:

i. Say, “stop”

ii. Say, “that was bumpy, try it again”

iii. Say, “oops, hold on”

iv. Say their name as a reminder

v. Model the sentence without stutters

vi. Hold up a hand and raise an eyebrow

**If the child is stuttering so much that you would be doing this kind of correcting constantly, try choosing just the most severe stutters or just some of them. You can also try choosing activities that require a shorter utterance length as described above.

Source: http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2010/1528-Bothe-Anne/

Great Example of Response-Contingency Therapy:

Lidcombe program: http://www.amazon.com/Lidcombe-Program-Early-Stuttering-Intervention/dp/0890799040/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406736420&sr=1-1&keywords=lidcombe+program

Older Children:

Need to address psychological aspects

Reduce feelings of anxiety about stuttering

My activity for addressing emotional aspects. Ask these questions, listen, and discuss

What are your strengths?

What are your interests?

What are your weaknesses?

How do you feel about talking?

What are your emotions when you stutter?

Describe how your stutters feel or sound.

Why do you think you stutter?

What changes do you make because of your stutter?

What situations do you stutter more or less?

How does your stuttering impact interactions with other people?

What’s the worst thing that could happen because you stutter?

How likely is that to happen and what is more likely to happen instead?

What strategies have you used and how have they worked?

What are your goals for yourself and will your stuttering prevent you from doing those things?

To Download the Emotional Aspects of Stuttering Worksheet (including what to say in response to the child’s answers), Click the Link Below

Click here to download the free PDF of the Emotional Impacts of Stuttering Worksheet.

Other Therapies for Older Children

Response Contingencies once again tops the list

Prolonged speech also has good outcomes (stretching out vowels and using extra pauses)

Self-management for older kids : know when they are stuttering and provide the response contingencies themselves, such as stopping themselves

Reference Article:

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, November 2006, Vol. 15, 321-341. doi:10.1044/1058-0360(2006/031). History: Received October 19, 2005; Revised March 28, 2006; AcceptedMay 25, 2006

Thanks for Listening!

I hope that helped to clarify how to do therapy with children who stutter. If you would like to download the free PDF of my emotional aspects worksheet, which includes what I recommend you say in response to the child’s answers, click on the link below.

Click here to download the free PDF of the Emotional Impacts of Stuttering Worksheet.

Thanks so much and don’t forget to leave a review on iTunes!

More Resources for Speech-Language Pathologists:

Looking for more therapy ideas and resources to help you provide the BEST services to your clients? Join us in The SLP Solution, our membership program for speech-language professionals! Inside the membership, you’ll find:

Step-By-Step Guides for teaching a variety of speech/language/communication skills

Pre-Made Worksheets and Therapy Activities for hundreds of different topics

Training Videos for dealing with difficult disorders or problems

Answers to Your Questions in our exclusive SLP community

Tools and Resources to help you with your paperwork and admin tasks

Continuing Education through our monthly webinars and webinar recordings

To join us in the full SLP Solution, or to snag a free membership, click on the button below!

JOIN THE MEMBERSHIP TODAY!

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By Carrie Clark, M.A. CCC-SLP

4.6

156156 ratings

July 30, 2014

Stuttering Therapy for Children

26 minutes

How to conduct stuttering therapy with children

News/Updates:

Before getting into the content, I announced on the podcast that I will be writing a full-length e-book about Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

Show Notes:

Stuttering in Preschoolers

typical to go through phases of stuttering

warning signs that stuttering may be persistent and not resolve on own

A parent, sibling, or other family member who still stutters

Stuttering starts after age 3 ½

Stuttering has been occurring for at least 6 months

Preschooler is a male

The child has other speech sound errors or trouble being understood

The child’s language skills are advanced, delayed, or disordered

Source: http://www.stutteringhelp.org/risk-factors

So What Therapy is Most Effective?

Younger children: systematic review in 2006 by Bothe, et. al. found that the response-contingency approach

Source: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/1058-0360(2006/031)

What is Response-Contingency Therapy for Stuttering?

For a full article on this topic, visit the link below:

http://www.speechandlanguagekids.com/stop-stuttering-preschoolers-current-research-based-methods/

Reinforce fluent (non-stuttered) speech

While playing with the child, comment on utterances that the child says that do not have any stutters. You can say “oh I like how smooth that was” or “you say that without any bumps!”.

If you need to shorten the utterance length down to have stutter-free speech, gradually build the utterance length back up by choosing slightly more demanding tasks.

Give direct corrective feedback for stuttering

i. Say, “stop”

ii. Say, “that was bumpy, try it again”

iii. Say, “oops, hold on”

iv. Say their name as a reminder

v. Model the sentence without stutters

vi. Hold up a hand and raise an eyebrow

Source: http://www.asha.org/Events/convention/handouts/2010/1528-Bothe-Anne/

Great Example of Response-Contingency Therapy:

Lidcombe program: http://www.amazon.com/Lidcombe-Program-Early-Stuttering-Intervention/dp/0890799040/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406736420&sr=1-1&keywords=lidcombe+program

Older Children:

Need to address psychological aspects

Reduce feelings of anxiety about stuttering

My activity for addressing emotional aspects. Ask these questions, listen, and discuss

What are your strengths?

What are your interests?

What are your weaknesses?

How do you feel about talking?

What are your emotions when you stutter?

Describe how your stutters feel or sound.

Why do you think you stutter?

What changes do you make because of your stutter?

What situations do you stutter more or less?

How does your stuttering impact interactions with other people?

What’s the worst thing that could happen because you stutter?

How likely is that to happen and what is more likely to happen instead?

What strategies have you used and how have they worked?

What are your goals for yourself and will your stuttering prevent you from doing those things?

To Download the Emotional Aspects of Stuttering Worksheet (including what to say in response to the child’s answers), Click the Link Below

Click here to download the free PDF of the Emotional Impacts of Stuttering Worksheet.

Other Therapies for Older Children

Response Contingencies once again tops the list

Prolonged speech also has good outcomes (stretching out vowels and using extra pauses)

Self-management for older kids : know when they are stuttering and provide the response contingencies themselves, such as stopping themselves

Reference Article:

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, November 2006, Vol. 15, 321-341. doi:10.1044/1058-0360(2006/031). History: Received October 19, 2005; Revised March 28, 2006; AcceptedMay 25, 2006

Thanks for Listening!

Click here to download the free PDF of the Emotional Impacts of Stuttering Worksheet.

Thanks so much and don’t forget to leave a review on iTunes!

More Resources for Speech-Language Pathologists:

Step-By-Step Guides for teaching a variety of speech/language/communication skills

Pre-Made Worksheets and Therapy Activities for hundreds of different topics

Training Videos for dealing with difficult disorders or problems

Answers to Your Questions in our exclusive SLP community

Tools and Resources to help you with your paperwork and admin tasks

Continuing Education through our monthly webinars and webinar recordings

To join us in the full SLP Solution, or to snag a free membership, click on the button below!

JOIN THE MEMBERSHIP TODAY!