Supporting Students Who Stutter in the Classroom

As a teacher, your role is important in supporting students who stutter! 

Setting a supportive and accepting communication atmosphere in your classroom can create a safe space for all students - whether they stutter or not - to feel comfortable communicating their thoughts, ideas, and needs. 

By learning more about stuttering and how to support these students in the classroom, you can become a role model, setting a positive tone for all of your students to follow. 

MYTHS & FACTS

On the Outside (what you can see)...

There are 2 categories of dysfluency (i.e., interrupted speech), non-stuttered dysfluency, and stuttered dysfluency.

Physical tension (e.g., tension in the face/shoulder/body of the speaker, jaw clenching, eye blinking, etc.) may or may not be present with stuttered type disfluency

IN THE CLASSROOM

Notes adapted from "School-Age Stuttering: How Teachers Can Help" by N. Reeves & J.S. Yaruss [1]

Here are some things you may consider for your classroom to help support not only your students who stutter - but ALL students!

Positive Attitudes 

• Make your classroom a place where everyone is accepted and celebrated. When we encourage and model accepting attitudes, it shows students how to treat others nicely. You can help a child who stutters feel supported, no matter how they talk.
  
  

A Good Pace

Reduce time pressure for speaking:

• Notice how fast you are talking in the classroom. Include pauses in your speech, and model “thinking time” to let children know that it is OK to take their time when answering.

• Encouraging turn-taking when talking and interacting with each other to avoid interrupting others. 

• Avoiding rapid-fire questions or call-out approaches. These activities may pressure students to try to answer quickly, which can make it harder for children who stutter to participate.
  
  

Pay Attention to WHAT is said, not HOW it is said

• Reflect back what students say so they know you are listening carefully and that you understand them, even when they stutter.

• Instead of focusing on how "fluently" they are speaking, consider how they communicate overall. Do they:

  • Answer questions and participate in classroom discussions?

  • Are some situations easier or harder for them to express themselves?

  • How do other students react to the child's speech?
    
    

Things to Avoid

• Avoid telling your students to "slow down", "try again" or "take a breath".

• Avoid telling your students to "use your speech strategies".  Comments like this can draw unwanted attention to stuttering and can make it hard for children to feel comfortable communicating.

• Remember that stuttering has a neurological base.  Children who stutter will produce some dysfluencies, no matter how many speech techniques they know! Speech therapy can help them learn ways to speak more efficiently and with more ease, but it is unrealistic to expect them to use their strategies all the time. It takes effort to consciously change the way you talk!
  
  

Talk Privately with your Student

• Ask the student what THEY want YOU to know about their speech and how they communicate.

• Brainstorms strategies to help support them in classroom discussions/activities, for example:

  • Do they want to talk first, in the middle, or last? Talking first might reduce the anxiety of having to wait to the end. Talking last (or in the middle) may give them time to prepare their response. 

  • Agree on some discrete signals or cues to use in the classroom:

    • To let the student know you will be calling on them next (after the next student) to answer a question - this gives them time to prepare. (E.g., walking by and putting our hand on their desk)

    • To let the teacher know you are ready to respond and have something to say (instead of being called on at random) 

    • To let your teacher know when today is a "tough speech day" and you would like to pass or not be called on. 

Each student is unique and may require different things! It's best to have a matter-of-fact and accepting conversation to learn how you can support your students best. 

These tips and resources are compiled from and credited to the following sources:

• [1] Reeves, N., & Yaruss, J. S. (2018). School-age stuttering: How Teachers Can Help. Stuttering Therapy Resources, Inc.

• The Stuttering Foundation

• The Canadian Stuttering Association