Supporting Students Who Stutters in the School System & Society: We all play a role

Educators

Every K – 12 student who stutters deserves to feel safe, valued, and know that they belong at school. Without proper clinical treatment, education, and community support, stuttering can have a significant impact on self-esteem, mental health, employment, opportunities, social and emotional well-being, and overall quality of life. The purpose of these resources is to help support, and contribute to building capacity of educators, knowledge, and understanding about the services, and supports the students who stutter require, so that this student group will feel supported and not alone, and that it’s OK to stutter. These resources will also help provide some key information about the needs of children and adolescents who stutter and the unique challenges they face as they navigate through the school system. Since stuttering is a condition that develops during early childhood, school based services are essential for detecting, treating and providing appropriate supports so that children and adolescents who stutter can thrive in a safe, nurturing and supportive environment.

A teacher spends one-on-one with a student

Topic: Basic dos and don’ts when speaking with a PWS

Dos

Student: *hand raised*

Teacher: ‘What can I help you with?’

Student: ‘I was wondering… where can I access the second activity once I’m done with the first one?’

Teacher: ‘Of course! Here’s the code to the classroom, you’ll find the link to the second activity there!’

Don’ts

Student: *hand raised*

Teacher: ‘Do you have a question?’

Student: ‘yeah, I was wondering wh…-’

Teacher: ‘-Where to find the activity? I just explained this. If you were listening you would know where to find it”

Topic: Peer Support

We all play a role in supporting our students who stutter in the school system and society. We can help eliminate the stigma that exists for PWS by talking about it, normalizing it, and realizing how common it is. It doesn’t have to be an isolating experience for those who live with it!

1. Talk with your student about their boundaries and make them feel comfortable in the classroom.

ex. Avoid presentations in front of the class or public speaking if your student is not up for this.
Give PWS extra time for any oral project or evaluation
Never grade based on elapsed time

2. Educate all students about stuttering.

Stuttering is a communicative difference, not a reflection of an individual’s intelligence or capabilities
Some students are willing to share their personal experiences of living with stuttering with the class.

Bullying or teasing from other students is unacceptable! → Create a classroom culture that enforces this

Be an advocate for your student who stutters: Consider creating a stuttering awareness club within the school. Encourage students and teachers alike to join. This could be a space to share their own experiences or experiences of people they know, do fun activities, fundraise, or just lend a listening ear. PWS want to know that they have support and are heard and seen.

Topic: Bullying Prevention

Observe the behavior and be ready to intervene when needed.
Talk to the bully with restorative questions such as “What made you do this?”, “What were you thinking while doing it?”, “Do you feel bad for the child?”, “How will you make things right?”.
Work with the school administration to make the school a bully-free zone. You may use various resources to ensure that the school is being proactive in preventing bullying.
Educate yourself about bullying and specific initiatives to deal with it.”

Resources

Peer support

How stuttering affects communication

How a teacher can help a student who stutters – Alberta health

Bullying & Stuttering

Advocacy