Parental Support for Children's Healthy Attitudes Towards Stuttering, Slides of Public Health

Download Parental Support for Children's Healthy Attitudes Towards Stuttering and more Slides Public Health in PDF only on Docsity! Helping Children Develop Healthy Attitudes Toward Stuttering docsity.com Wait a minute!!! What do you mean by, “Healthy Attitudes Toward Stuttering” ?!? docsity.com How should we expect children to react to stuttering? docsity.com Feelings about Stuttering  It is normal for children to have emotions and feelings about their stuttering » It is also normal for you to have emotions about feelings about your child’s stutteringChildre don’t always understand their feelings…you can help! docsity.com The Traditional Role of Parents  In speech therapy, parents typically receive lots of advice about how to help children speak more fluently » “Slow down your own speech” » “Pause before speaking” » “Shorten and simply your sentences” » “Don’t interrupt the child” » “Don’t tell the child to ‘slow down’” docsity.com Parents Can Also Help Children...  Understand what they are doing when they stutter and how to change it  Learn how to react to stuttering and how to deal with other people’s reactions  Interpret what it means to have a speech disorder and (for older children) accept it  Feel acceptance regardless of their speech docsity.com Parents Can…WHAT?!?  Many parents have their own issues and concerns about stuttering, making it difficult to react supportively  Plus, parents are consistently told not to react to their children’s stuttering… » “Do nothing at any time, by word or deed or posture or facial expression, that would serve to call attention to interruptions in (your child's) speech. » (Johnson, 1962) docsity.com The Parent’s Dilemma  Watching children stutter is hard! » It is nearly impossible to watch our children struggle with any difficulty without trying to do something--anything--to help them  So...the advice to “just ignore it” is in direct conflict with our parental instincts » The advice is wrong...our instincts are right! docsity.com Why Talk about Stuttering? This problem is so awful that my parents can't bear to talk... about it. I felt isolated and frustrated…lik e stuttering was something to be ashamed of Some quotes from adults who stutter --Rustin & Cook (1995) docsity.com Why Talk about Stuttering?  Break the “Conspiracy of Silence” (Starkweather & Givens-Ackerman, 1997) Help children understand stuttering Help children feel more comfortable about their speaking abilities Help children learn how to react to stuttering Help to normalize stuttering docsity.com Okay, So... What Should We Say? ~ is OF depends...) docsity.co Some Signs of Awareness Mild word substitution Mild tension or struggle Mild frustration during or after stuttering  Trying different ways to speak fluently Questions such as “why can’t I docsity.com Guidelines for Talking with Children Who Are Aware  Don’t over-react…it’s normal for children to be curious about their developing skills » Children learn how concerned to be from you  Respond to questions in a matter-of-fact way » “Everybody has trouble talking sometimes… it’s just part of learning.” » “Sometimes we have trouble talking, just like sometimes we have trouble walking.” docsity.com Children’s Concern about Stuttering  As children’s continue to stutter, they may become concerned about their speech » Increased tension and struggle » Avoidance of words or speaking situations » Nonspeech behaviors (e.g., hitting mouth) » Embarrassment in talking about speech » More questions about their speech » Fear about speaking docsity.com Think about it this way… If your child were to continue stuttering… How would you like him to respond? docsity.com Stuttering can be very stubborn... If we continue to emphasize only fluency, we may end up contributing to the development of guilt and shame that affect many adults who stutter …not every child will be able to overcome it docsity.com General Guidelines for Achieving these Goals  Model… …appropriate responses to stuttering  Listen… …to children’s concerns about talking  Talk… …with children about their stuttering docsity.com Modeling Effective Responses to Adversity  Children may develop distorted perceptions about their stuttering and speaking abilities » Over-estimation of stuttering (“I always stutter”) » Over-estimation of other people’s reactions (“Nobody likes the way I talk”) » Loss of perspective (“I can’t do anything right”)  Parents must challenge these perspectives to help children develop healthier reactions docsity.com  Explanatory style Temporary Permanent Specific Pervasive (Peterson, Buchanan, & Seligman, 1995) Modeling Effective Responses To Adversity  Examples » “Sometimes learning takes a little while.” » “That word was kind of bumpy” (or tense) » “You sure have a lot of good things to talk about ” docsity.com Listening to Children  Content versus manner: Listen to what children say rather than how they say it  Affirm any emotions children express » You do not need to solve their problems or try to make them feel better…just let them know that you hear them and are with them » This paves the way for an open dialogue about stuttering and other topics docsity.com Examples of Other Responses Type Description Examples Labeling Factual statements about child’s behavior That word sounded bumpy. Informing Explanations of child’s feelings Sometimes we feel frustrated when things are hard to do. Assuring Parent reassures child about acceptance It’s okay with Mom if you repeat words. Reframing Parent helps child see behavior in positive light This is a good chance to learn … docsity.com Summary  Children don’t know how to react to stuttering » Left to their own devices, there is a good chance they will over-react or react negatively » Parents can play a critical role in shaping children’s responses so they will develop healthy attitudes  Healthy attitudes help minimize the negative consequences of stuttering » Parents must also exhibit healthy reactions to stuttering docsity.com Some Tough Questions  How do you feel about stuttering?  Can you accept your child’s stuttering?  Can the other parent or other family members accept your child’s stuttering?  What if the stuttering doesn’t go away?  Could you stutter on purpose in public to see what it feels like for your child? docsity.com