Are you looking for strategies to help students who stutter? If so, keep reading.
1. Create a list of the attributes that are likely to help a person become an excellent speaker. Get the student to practice each attribute.
2. Acquaint yourself and the student with the terms fluency, dysfluency, stuttering, straightforward speech, etc. Keep these words as neutral as possible, without negative connotations.
3. Get the student to find an excellent speaker and give the reasons that make that person an excellent speaker.
4. If the student is more dysfluent when involved in another learning experience at the same time they are talking, urge the student to stop the other learning experience .
5. Get the student to find specific words or phrases on which they become dysfluent and practice those particular words or phrases.
6. On occasions where the student seems exceptionally frustrated by a stuttering episode, react calmly with a reassuring statement (e.g., “Sometimes, words do not come out easily, do they?” or “You worked hard on that word.”).
7. Get the student to speak in unison with you while you are modeling slow, natural speech.
8. Do not require the student to speak in front of other students if they are awkward doing so. Get the student to talk to the teacher or another student privately if the student would be more comfortable doing so.
9. Give the student many chances for social and academic success.
10. Assist the student in learning to find periods of dysfluency and periods of slow, natural speech.
11. Select a peer to model appropriate speech for the student. Pair the students to sit together, perform tasks together, etc.
12. If the student is overly excited, wait until they are calmer before requiring any oral explanations or interactions. A high level of excitement often precipitates an anxiety level that interferes with fluency.
13. Consider using a language arts app. Click here to view a list of recommended apps.
14. Consider using a language development app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.
