Parents & Teachers

1. Listen to the content of the message rather than to how the message is coming out.
2. Keep natural eye contact with the person to show that you are listening and are interested in their message. “Natural” does not mean staring at the person; nor does it mean avoiding looking at the person. Pay attention to how often and for how long you usually look at another speaker and then try that with the person who stutters. Try not to look embarrassed or alarmed. Just wait patiently and naturally until the person is finished.
3. Let your posture, your facial expressions, your manner, and your voice show that you are listening and are interested and that you are not embarrassed.
4. You might be tempted to finish sentences or fill in words for the person. Unless you know the person well and have his or her permission, please do not do this. Your action could be taken as demeaning. And, of course, if you guess the wrong word, the difficulties multiply.
5. The person’s stuttering sometimes makes it harder to understand what he or she is saying. If you do not understand what is said to you, do not be afraid to say, “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand what you just said.” No matter how much of a struggle it was for them to say it, this is preferable to your pretending you understood or guessing what his or her communication was.
6. Refrain from making remarks like: “Slow down,” “Take a deep breath,” or “Relax.” Such simplistic advice can be felt as patronizing and is not constructive.
7. Instead of telling the person to slow down, try using a slower, more relaxed speaking rate yourself. This may help relieve the feeling of time pressure and it will show them that you have time to talk.
8. Treat the person who stutters with the same level of dignity and respect as you treat other people.
9. Be aware that people who stutter usually have more trouble controlling their speech on the telephone. Saying “Hello,” in particular, often presents a special problem for us. Please be extra patient in this situation.
10. People sometimes ask if they should ask the person questions about his or her stuttering. This is something we must leave to your judgment. But surely, stuttering should not be a taboo subject. If you have a question about it, the person will probably appreciate your interest. It is to your mutual benefit that it be talked about openly. You should be prepared that some people who stutter will be sensitive about it, but if you follow the rules of common courtesy, you should be fine.

1. Encourage positive communication skills in the classroom: do not interrupt someone when they are talking, talk for, or finish thoughts and statements for anyone else. Dont let other children do so.
2. Avoid, as much as possible, treating the child with stammering differently from others in the classroom. It is important that the child does not feel any differently than the other children by receiving “special treatment.” The child who stutters should be held to the same academic and social standards as the other children in the classroom.
3. Commend the child when he or she participates in classroom discussions. Praise what they say, not how they say it.
4. If the child is teased by classmates in the classroom or in the playground, STOP it firmly.
5. If appropriate, it may benefit the child if you talk to the class about stuttering. It is important to ask the child first. You may even help the child present a science project on stammering. (For more info see stammer.in or contact 09412058272)
6. Do not call on students in a specific order. People who stutter build up tension and anxiety when they know their turn is coming because they anticipate that they will stutter. It is best to call on the child early on in the process.
7. For oral presentations, ask the child about what could be done to make it a little less frightening. You could ask the child to give viva in staff room or let him write the answers.
8. Most children who stutter are fluent when reading in unison with someone else. Rather than not calling on the child who stutters, let him have his turn with one of the other children. Let the whole class read in pairs sometimes so that the child who stutters doesn’t feel “special.” Gradually he may become more confident and be able to manage reading out loud on his own

On Bullying:

7 Ways to Help Children Who Stutter Overcome Bullying

https://westutter.org/who-we-help/minimizing-bullying-children-stutter/