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From: Ellen-Marie Silverman
Date: 14 Oct 2010
Time: 19:34:05 -0500
Remote Name: 76.229.183.13
[[I enjoyed your article, "My stuttering is me," very much. I am in graduate school and have only had one fluency client, a preschooler. When should we start discussing feelings about stuttering and how that makes him feel? And I think we should include the parents in discussions, but therapy is done at the preschool in a group setting. Any advice about how to address these issues?]] Dear Katie, I'm glad you found this paper helpful because it (and the title) can serve as the focal point for decisions you may make about addressing preschoolers' communication needs. I suspect as you, and as I, and as many speech-language pathologists decide whether or not and how to intervene with a child who some adults are concerned may be developing a stuttering problem keeping firmly in mind that we do not want to do anything or not do anything that may contribute to that child developing a self-concept that identifies himself or herself as someone who is a stutterer can serve as our north star. /// That said, let us consider for a moment, and only for a moment, the matter of communicating with the child about his or her feelings about stuttering and about speaking. Notice, Katie, that I substituted the word "communicating" for "discussing." Young children often lack the analytical ability, vocabulary, and attention span to talk definitely about their feelings. But unless they have been brutalized in some way and to some degree or have some form of affective-cognitive difficulty, such as that which can be a component of Asperger's Syndrome, they can and do readily communicate about the emotions they experience nonverbally. The same skills you would use communicating with any young child would be appropriate to use with a child who may be or is beginning to show evidence of having a stuttering problem. One caveat, which I think you will understand readily: Do not suggest to the child that 1) Feelings do not matter or 2) That you will take away "the hurt." Feelings, all feelings --- anger, sadness, fear, joy --- matter and so does learning how to helpfully respond to them and express them. And, as you many know, we are in the business of helping people help themselves rather than to be dependent on us to make them better --- which is as true for our work with preschoolers as it is for our work with adults. And, as you intimated the right parent involvement is critical. /// Katie, you have raised important issues. I hope I have given you some direction for dealing further with them. All best wishes for all that you do. Ellen-Marie Silverman