commentr/StutterMay 30, 2019

Content

As a 17 female that has stuttered for as long as she can remember, and started therapy in second grade, I might be able to help. FIRST OFF let her finish her sentences. When I start stuttering on a word mid sentence, even if you finish the sentence, I physically can’t stop myself from continuing my stutter until it’s done. So interrupting me does nothing but send a message to me that you’re getting impatient, which only makes my stutter worse due to nervousness and anxiety. A personal thing that I do, is I’ve memorized the first 25 digits of Pi, and when I get frustrated, I either say them softly to myself, or count in my head. I do this because when you have a stutter, you typically don’t stutter on things that you have memorized because it’s literally muscle memory. Example, I have never stutter on the pledge of allegiance (seriously, it’s like automatic at this point). So maybe something like that could help her? Again, just a suggestion. Another thing, is don’t make a big deal out of it. The more you freak out about it, the more the child will internalize it and the more the stutter can take root. Speech impediments can be just as mental as they can be physical. So just stay calm, and do whatever the speech therapist suggests. Not sure if any of this will help, but these are just things that I’ve noticed while stuttering for about 15 years of my life. I’ll probably think of more over time, but there’s a few off the top of my head.

Themes

Parent & CaregiverCoping & AdvocacyCauses & Variability

Subthemes

Home SupportFluency TechniquesSituational Variability