It’s that time of year again! New pencils, books, classrooms, friends, and teachers. We have helpful tips and advice on how to make the upcoming school year the best it can be for both your student AND for you!
Educate Teachers
New school year, new teacher? Bring your teacher up to speed about stuttering by giving them one of our free Answers for Educators brochures. Also encourage teachers to visit the Who We Help: Teachers section of the NSA website, which is designed to help teachers feel more comfortable with their ability to support children who stutter. In this section educators will learn more about what stuttering is (and what stuttering is not), what the goals of therapy are for school-age children who stutter, and how teachers can help children communicate more effectively in the classroom. Lastly, check out IEP Ideas for Parents by Joan Duffield for more back-to-school tips and ideas.
Educate Classmates
Encourage your child to talk about stuttering to their classmates. Many kids choose to do a classroom presentation about stuttering, which is an excellent way to educate the class about their speech. Kids who have talked to their classmates about stuttering have found that once their peers understand stuttering, teasing and mimicking don’t happen as much. After all, your child is the best person to help their classmates understand, because they are the expert about their speech!
Check out our Classroom Presentation brochure for more info.
Educate Health Care Professionals
Planning to visit your pediatrician’s office for that back-to-school physical? Why not take that opportunity to educate your physician as well with one of our new Information for Pediatricians and Family Physicians brochure? This brochure is filled with useful, concise information that will be helpful to pediatricians when answering questions from parents about their child’s stuttering, and is just one step in the outreach currently underway to educate pediatricians and family physicians about childhood stuttering. With the correct information and a basic understanding of childhood stuttering, medical professionals can also assist parents in making the appropriate choices regarding a speech evaluation with a speech-language pathologist.
Working with SLPs
Parents should work alongside their child’s school therapist to discuss their child’s therapy. We know that finding an SLP who understands stuttering can be a challenge, so we’ve put together some guidelines to help you. It is important to pair stuttering support group involvement with therapy from a qualified speech and language pathologist stuttering specialist. Stuttering specialists are speech-language pathologists who have been recognized by the American Board of Fluency and Fluency Disorders as having achieved advanced training and clinical skill for working with people who stutter and their families. Visit the Who We Help: Families section of our website for support, tips, advice and a directory of stuttering specialists.
Printables
All of our brochures are available to download and print (PDF format) at no cost to you in the NSA Printables section of our website. Print them out for yourself, or share the links with family, friends, and others to make sure everyone is ‘in the know’!
Get Involved
Ongoing support is key, both for you and your child who stutters! The NSA offers an extensive network of local support group chapters across the United States, including those specifically for kids, teens, and families. The purpose of our local chapters is to provide connection and support for people who stutter and their families. Search our Chapter Locator to find the local NSA Chapter(s) in your area.
We also offer a free, virtual support meeting for Parents & Caregivers on the 1st Thursday of each month. Held over Zoom, these sessions are for any parent/guardian/caregiver of a person (of any age!) who stutters, and serves to answer any questions about what to do and how best to help.
Stay Connected
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