It has been about an year since Samagra began working with children in local schools. Here is a quick recap:
1. School authorities (teachers and management) rarely understand the implications of stammering for a young child. There is a great need to sensitize. “Special needs” are understood to be limited to just Mental retardation, blindness, deafness and polio..
2. Children recover from PDS (persistent developmental stuttering) faster than adults. They learn new approaches faster and are more willing to practice them in real life situations.
3. Children who dont stammer- also are more open to new ideas and new ways of helping their PWS colleagues. Not so ridden with stereotypes.
4. Many children agonize a lot about the cause – why do they stutter, and not their siblings? Also about- how disappointed their elders (parents and teachers) must have been due to their speech failures.. Bringing them some assurance on these two counts helps their onward march quite a lot.
Above are some write ups and sketches made by class 3 children during an interactive exercise.
