The prevalence of stuttering, which means how many people stutter just like me, is less than 1%. The incidence of stuttering, which means how many new children were found to stutter like me, is 5% (ASHA, 2022). These are both very small numbers. This means there are not a lot of people who stutter like I do.
What Makes My Speech SpecialBy: Ashley Welch
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This story is dedicated to children ages 5-7 years with a classmate who stutters.
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Table of Contents:Title page.............................. 1Dedication..............................2Introduction..........................4Stuttering..............................5Incidence and Prevalence.....6Causes.....................................7Characteristics.................8-10Attitudes and Feelings....11-13Assessment...........................14Treatment........................15-16My Therapist.........................17My Teacher............................18Asking Questions..................19Resources..............................21References.......................22-24
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Hi, my name isMaggie! I am just like you, but sometimes I stutter. Today, I want to tell you a little bit about stuttering.
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Stuttering is known as a fluency disorder. This means that sometimes my speech does not flow smoothly when I am talking. Sometimes my speech may sound bumpy, while other times it may sound smooth. Sometimes it is hard for me to get my words out and takes me a little longer to say them.
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I do not know the reason I stutter. I was born this way! It may be my genes that cause me to stutter. Genes are what carryinformation from my mom and dad to me (Dworzynski et al., 2007). It also may be the way my brain was created (Chang et al., 2015). Whatever the reason may be, it is part of who I am!
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Sometimes I stutter by saying the same word over and over again until I can say the next word. This may sound like “That is my-my-my ball”. Other times I stutter by saying the first sound of a word for a little longer than normal. This may sound like “That is my b-b-ball”.
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I sometimes say the words “um” and “like” a lot in my sentences. This is my way of trying to stop myself from stuttering (ASHA, 2022).
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When I get excited or angry, I sometimes stutter more than normal.
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Please be patient with me! I will try my best to get my words out.
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Sometimes, when I am talking to someone I do not know, I might stutter more. This does not mean I don't want to meet new people. I love making new friends!
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When I am talking to you and start to stutter, giving me a little extra time to say my words is all you need to do!
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When I was younger, my mom brought me to a speech language pathologist, or SLP. The SLP looked at how often I stuttered, how the rest of my speech sounded, and if it affected the way I talk with my friends and family (ASHA, 2022).
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Now I see the SLP every week! She spent some time with me and found what worked best for my speech. We work very hard together to make my speech smoother.
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My mom and dad come with me to see the SLP. They learn a lot from her too! Both my parents and the SLP always tell me how good my speech is when it is smooth (Harris et. al., 2002). This makes me feel good!
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I also see a therapist every week. She helps me think about and understand my feelings better. Talking to her makes me feel less worried, which helps me have smoother speech (Ezrati-Vinacour and Levin, 2004).
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The SLP and my parents tell my teachers all about my stuttering. My teachers help me work on having smoother speech, too. They make me feel comfortable in class and also tell me how good my smooth speech is.
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If you ever have any questions about stuttering, it is okay to ask me or an adult about it! We would be happy to help you understand it more.
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Thank you for listening to my story! I hope you learned a little bit about stuttering today.
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Resources for Parents of Children Who Stutter1. The Stuttering Foundation is a non-profit organization created for people who stutter. Included on the website are tips for parents and teachers of children who stutter, videos for children to watch, and a list of celebrities that also stutter. This allows children to feel like they are not alone and are capable of doing whatever they dream of. - https://www.stutteringhelp.org/content/parents-school-aged-children2. The Stuttering Association for the Young is an organization created for the purpose of empowering, educating, and supporting children who stutter. Included on the website is also a letter for the children and their families to provide to teachers or any other adults in the child's life. The purpose of the letter is to educate the reader about stuttering, ways to communicate with the child, and additional ways for the reader to support the child. - https://www.say.org/stuttering-101/trusted-resources/3. The National Stuttering Association has a website that is used to provide parents with information on what stutter is, possible causes, treatment options, therapy and support, and more. This is a great website to find more information on the various resources available for parents. - https://westutter.org/families/parents/
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References:Admin. (2022, February 7). Parents. National Stuttering Association. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://westutter.org/families/parents/ American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Fluency disorders. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/fluency-disorders/#collapse_6 Chang, S.-E., Zhu, D. C., Choo, A. L., Angstadt, M. (2015). White matter neuroanatomical differences in young children who stutter. Brain, 138(3), 694–711. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awu400 Clever Prototypes, L. L. C. (n.d.). Free storyboarding software - online storyboard creator: Storyboardthat. Storyboard That. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.storyboardthat.com/
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References:Dworzynski, K., Remington, A., Rijsdijk, F., Howell, P., Plomin, R. (2007). Genetic etiology in cases of recovered and persistent stuttering in an unselected, longitudinal sample of Young Twins. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 16(2), 169–178. https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2007/021)Ezrati-Vinacour, R., Levin, I. (2004). The relationship between anxiety and stuttering: A multidimensional approach.Journal of Fluency Disorders, 29(2), 135–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2004.02.003For parents of school aged children. Stuttering Foundation: A Nonprofit Organization Helping Those Who Stutter. (2011, September 15). Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.stutteringhelp.org/content/parents-school-aged-children
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References:Harris, V., Onslow, M., Packman, A., Harrison, E., Menzies, R. (2002). An experimental investigation of the impact of the Lidcombe Program on early stuttering. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 27(3), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0094-730x(02)00127-4Trusted Resources: Say. Trusted Resources | SAY The Stuttering Association for the Young. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.say.org/stuttering-101/trusted-resources/