who stutters

Kids who stutter are as smart as other kids Stuttering is not caused by being a fearful person Reactions of others may make stuttering worse Teasing and bulling makes everybody suffer Many famous people have or had stutter

Tell your friend who stutters, “take a deep breath” or “ just relax” You take a deep breath and relax while listening to your friend

When you tell your friend “take a deep breath,” or “just relax” the stuttering usually becomes worse, and it makes him feel bad If you look and feel relaxed while listening it will help your friend who stutter to speak freely and more fluently

Look away from the person who stutters during the conversation Keep your usual eye contact while talking and listening

Looking away from your friend shows that you are uncomfortable listening and/or not respectful (in most cultures) Normal eye contact with your friend who stutters will release tension and show your respect (in most cultures)

Talking slowly with your friend who stutters and allowing pauses will help Talking less often with your friend who have such difficulties to talk will help

Slowing down your speech and allowing pauses will help the your friend who stutter to feel more comfortable speaking Avoiding conversations with your friend who stutter may show that you are disinterested in him or her

While talking with your friend who stutters, wait for your turn as you normally do Finish the words or sentences that your friend struggles to say

Taking turns will help your friend who stutter speak easier and feel respected Finishing words for your friend usually makes the stuttering even worse

Pretend that you don’t notice your friend is struggling to speak Show that you are interested in content of what your friend who stutter is saying

Pretending that your friend is not stuttering communicate that you are insincere In stead, make your friend feel that its OK to stutter.

Lesson plan and PowerPoint to address stuttering in middle school classrooms References:  Anderson, J. D., Pellowski, M. W., Conture, E. G., & Kelly, E. M. (2003).  Temperamental characteristics of young children who stutter. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 46(5),  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),  Flynn, T. W., & Louis, K. O. S. (2011). Changing adolescent attitudes toward stuttering.  Journal of fluency disorders, 36(2),  Howell, P., Davis, S., & Williams, R. (2008). Late childhood stuttering. Journal of  Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 51(3),  Langevin, M., & Prasad, N. N. (2012). A stuttering education and bullying awareness and prevention resource: A feasibility study. Language, speech, and hearing services  in schools, 43(3),  Guntupalli, V. K., Kalinowski, J., Nanjundeswaran, C., Saltuklaroglu, T., & Everhart, D.  E. (2006). Psychophysiological responses of adults who do not stutter while listening to stuttering. International journal of psychophysiology, 62(1), 1-8.  Iverach, L., & Rapee, R. M. (2014). Social anxiety disorder and stuttering: Current status and future directions. Journal of fluency disorders, 40,  Related articles:  Safran, J. S. (2002). Supporting students with Asperger’s syndrome. Teaching exceptional children, 1(61).  Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. Routledge.  Phelps, F. G.; Doherty-Sneddon, G.; Warnock, H. (2006). Helping children think: Gaze aversion and teaching. British Journal of Developmental Psychology 24 (3): 577