Fluency Strategies for Parents

The way you speak to your child can have an impact on his speech and stuttering behavior. Children who stutter tend to stutter more in stressful speaking situations or when high speaking demands are placed on them. Parents can decrease the communication demands placed on their child by modifying the way they speak to them.

Strategies include:

• Speak slowly
• Use a soft voice
• Pause frequently in conversation
• Use simple vocabulary and grammar
• Avoid asking lots of questions
• Be patient, don’t interrupt your child or finish his sentences for him
• Allow time to pass between speaking turns, don’t rush your child
• Maintain natural eye contact, even in a moment of stuttering
• Avoid criticizing speech or using language like "slow down!" or "You’re taking too fast!"
• Talk openly about stuttering with your child and acknowledge that it can be difficult. You can use language like "sometimes speech is bumpy" or "that was a hard one."
• Listening Time: Set aside 15 minutes of time each day that your child can speak to you without time pressure. Your role is to listen to your child.

Home Program:

It is very important to set aside time each day to practice the strategies learned during each therapy session. Set up a period of time each day that you will practice with your child!

For more information on our Evaluations & Therapy, or to schedule a visit, go to:

 www.TeamChatterboxes.com 

My Son is 20 Months & Not Talking Much. Should I Worry?

"My Son is 20 months old, and not talking much. Should I wait to give him some more time to catch up, or have him Evaluated by a Speech-Language Pathologist?"

There is great variation in language development, especially in children between one to two years of age. Is your son following directions? Does he appear to understand what you are saying? Does he have strong social-interaction skills? If you answered 'yes' to each of these questions, it's possible that your son may have stronger receptive language abilities than expressive abilities.  The ability to understand language, is known as receptive language while the ability to use language (produce words) is known as expressive language.

However, it is important to note that your son has surpassed the important milestone for language development of eighteen months. Between 18-24 months of age, a child is expected to have an expressive vocabulary of about 40-50 words, and to begin combining words into two-word combinations, e.g., “My ball.” That said, it would be beneficial to have your son evaluated by a Speech-Language Pathologist, to obtain a clear picture of where he stands in terms of his overall speech and language abilities and determine strategies for you to use with him at home, that will be beneficial for encouraging his language growth.

For more information on our Evaluations & Therapy, or to schedule a visit for your child, visit  www.TeamChatterboxes.com