Stuttering Presentation For School District SLP (Speech Language Pathologist)
I was recently invited to be the guest speaker at my school district's SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) meeting. I was allowed to provide insight and correct common misconceptions about stuttering.
Key Points Mentioned
Stuttering is more than a fluency disorder; outside factors can affect how one views their speaking abilities. Family and past experiences may dictate the speaker's confidence in speaking abilities. A key point I presented was that I grew up with a mom who stutterers; I went into detail on how this family dynamic has affected my overall perception of my stutter and self-advocacy. Many teenagers that stutter rarely have the chance to meet other people in the stuttering community, leading to isolation and self-doubt.
The classroom environment; the atmosphere of the classroom is imperative. Having teachers and staff informed about stuttering is essential, allowing the child who stutters to have allies. I shared how I felt like stuttering was a foreign subject in middle school and even elementary school. I even had experiences of teachers making jokes about it. Explaining how building self-advocacy has helped me connect with my teachers, and started the conversation of educating school teachers and admin about stuttering.
Debunking misconceptions- One thing that constantly threatens the integrity of the stuttering community is the misconceptions regarding stuttering. Common ones are "we stutter because we are nervous," "stuttering is curable" and "stuttering is caused by shyness." Addressing these misconceptions brings power back to the stuttering community and spread knowledge amongst society.
My Personal Experience
Family
Being a teenager that stutters comes with many challenges; these challenges can pose a great threat to the mental development and self-esteem of the stutterer depending on their family situation and environment pertaining to their speech. My mother has had her stutter throughout her life, she is currently 40. Having a parent that stutters has positively impacted my life. She was able to create an environment and encourages me throughout my advocacy journey starting from a young age.
The most memorable experience that I think benefitted me the most was when she would have me order my own food at restaurants even though I was timid and scared. Although she pushed me, she also knew where and when to draw the line. Having a parent that is also close and knowledgeable about stuttering has impacted every aspect of my life.
Teachers
There are three types of teachers. The ones that make fun of stuttering, the ones that pretend I do not stutter, and the ones that acknowledge it and try to accommodate it. How my teachers treat me is a direct outcome of my self-advocacy. When I first neglected to share that I stuttered with my teachers, I would revcie a lot of mean and crude comments that they tried to pass off as innocent jokes. The growth of my self-advocacy has allowed me to bring awareness of stuttering to my teachers and let them know what I expect of them. Recently, I have been having a reoccurring problem in my Spanish class. My teacher pulls out popsicle sticks to call on people to share their answers. I have never been a fan of this method because it does not allow me to prepare for what I am going to say and think of the necessary tools and strategies I want to utilize. The worst part about this situation is when I am asked to repeat myself. This is a major stressor; many stutters when asked to repeat themselves tend to stutter more. It makes the speaker feel like they are the center of attention and subject to judgment, which causes feelings of pressure and tension. Small events like this contribute to the development of feared situations in a person that stutters.
IEP
Individual Education Program- I was placed on my IEP in kindergarten, and I am now a junior in high school. My IEP has served as a guideline for my self-advocacy journey. In 6th grade my IEP was totally dependent on what my speech therapist suggested, this was mainly tasks that did not benefit me, such as reading out loud and playing games. It was not until I attended a specialized stuttering camp that I was able to know what therapy tools aided me. Starting in 8th grade, I started taking my IEP into my own hands, which marked the start of my advocacy journey. This led to me establishing stuttering awareness weeks at 2 separate high schools and building a social media platform that allows me to reach a large audience.
Fluency Shaping Vs Modification
Fluency shaping has the overall goal of the speaker achieving high fluency, while modification has the goal of modifying the stutter to where the speaker is comfortable and confident. The Modification does take some technical aspects from the fluency shaping category but utilizes it in a way that builds the speaker's confidence in their speech.
Ways To Help
Ways for an SLP to help their patient can be done by including real-world experiences in the treatment plan. This however can only be achieved when the foundation of therapy is instilled by building the speech strategy "tool-box." This is normally taught in the elementary and middle school years. Another foundational teaching should be general knowledge about stuttering, remembering that knowledge is power. Once the foundation is created, these tools can then be utilized in a controlled speech setting that simulates real-world experiences. This can be accomplished by giving surveys, phone calls and mock presentations, and interviews.
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