2 Things Mom Told Teachers + 1 Thing She’d Change
What can parents and guardians of children who stutter do in the classroom? Advocate, advocate, advocate.
The biggest issue with stuttering is the misunderstandings and assumptions. Your kid is stuttering - ‘oh, maybe they’re shy. I won’t call on them in class so that they don’t feel embarrassed.’
Not all kids love raising their hand in class, but the point of these messages is:
1. INFORM - what is stuttering? what does it look like? can a teacher cure it? (lol no). Even a quick pamphlet will put the teacher in a situation where they’re in the know, and now stuttering is less taboo. This will usually include phrases to say/avoid (don’t tell me to take a deep breath!) and to not finish their sentences. Lots of orgs are happy to send this for free if requested and/or are available online. (Just read it first.)
2. INSTRUCT - don’t treat my kid differently because of the stutter. Unless teachers are timing kids when they talk (pls god I hope not) or forcing students into situations that give them anxiety, make sure the adults around your kid know the stutter is nothing to be afraid of, and not to treat them differently for it. (If your child is showing levels of anxiety or other things, that may be different. More on that another post.)
The + change - I constantly acknowledge how lucky I am that my mom advocated this way on my behalf. I did better than some of my peers because of it. But I’m always curious, what could have been better? How could I have felt less alone?
The answer is in empowerment. This will look DIFFERENT for each child and require conversations.
Would they be willing to share information about stuttering to their teachers? What about to their class? Don’t just offer to do it, and step in if need be. They may or may not be ready for that, and it’s important to push, but not too hard. You’re doing great, caregivers. My moms openness to this convo was a testament that you don’t need to be perfect. You won’t get it 100% right. But making sure your child is safe to communicate, stutter and all? You can’t go too wrong.
