Stuttering Consultation for School-Based Therapy

Abstract: The current neurodiversity trends in stuttering therapy are as exciting as they are challenging for school-based therapists. Together we will analyze ways to incorporate consultations within your therapy plan to provide a more holistic approach to intervention. Using consultations alone and in conjunction with direct group or individual therapy will help prepare students for lifetime stuttering management. Practical applications for incorporating stakeholders in the student’s environment including family, peers, and teachers will be highlighted.

Description: Stuttering has a significant impact on students and their families. People who stutter "PWS may experience both observable and unobservable challenges in school" (Daniels, Gabel, and Hughes 2012). Effective therapy must address interactions with peers, support from teachers and staff, and family support. As the student ages the chronicity of stuttering, changing communication needs, individual and dynamic school experiences, growing autonomy (Rodgers, Gerlach, Robbins, and Zebrowski 2021), and readiness for change all impact the student’s success with stuttering management.
Together Kerri Berard and Laura Overton make up the Stuttering Support Team for Fort Worth ISD. In supporting our students and our colleagues with their students we have developed several stuttering management strategies for use in consultations with students, staff, and families. Our presentation will address:
*Initial consultations with family.
*Ongoing conversations with families and students to develop plans that focus on improving the students experience of speaking.
*Family centered preschool therapy model through consultation with families that are unable to attend formal sessions.
*Challenges specific to elementary school students with an emphasis on the changes that occur as peers develop more negative attitudes toward PWS.
*Challenges specific to middle school students with an emphasis on the increase in teasing, bullying, and feelings of embarrassment.
*Challenges specific to high school students with an emphasis on college and career readiness.

We will use polling to determine which age group is most relevant to our audience and focus on that age group.

Supporting Research: Reference 1: Berquez, A., & Kelman, E. (2018). Methods in stuttering therapy for desensitizing parents of children who stutter. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 27(3S), 1124–1138. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_ajslp-odc11-17-0183

Supporting Research: Reference 2: Cobb, T. R., Daniels, D. E., & Panico, J. (2019). Adolescent students who stutter: A qualitative exploration of school experiences. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 4(6), 1327–1336. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_persp-19-00085

Supporting Research: Reference 3: Cozart, G., & Wilson, L. (2022). Strategies for teachers to support children who stutter: Perspectives of speech-language pathologists. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 7(1), 73–86. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_persp-20-00281

Supporting Research: Reference 4: Daniels, D. E., Gabel, R. M., & Hughes, S. (2012). Recounting the K-12 school experiences of adults who stutter: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 37(2), 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfludis.2011.12.001

Supporting Research: Reference 5: Rodgers, N. H., Gerlach, H., Paiva, A. L., Robbins, M. L., & Zebrowski, P. M. (2021). Applying the transtheoretical model to stuttering management among adolescents: Part II. exploratory scale validation. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(6), 2510–2527. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_ajslp-21-00108