Highlights from the 8-27 Voice Unearthed/American Institute for Stuttering group session:
- How do you define “cure.” Cure is when a person experiences no negative anticipation or physical or emotional recoil when they stutter and they keep moving forward with their communication.
- Bullying in school: Although it’s good to have an adult who is trusted in the school setting, it’s even more effective to have a peer ally who will give the bully the message that “this really isn’t cool!” Role model responses to bullying with your child – have fun with it! If the words don’t come out, there’s always the eye roll, head shake, and smile. Empower kids to advocate for themselves early on – in many situations, not just about the stutter!
- Many children who stutter tend to have perfectionistic tendencies. It’s important for parents to model imperfection.
- Every child’s comfort level with putting themselves out there, advertising, disclosing their stutter is so different.
- Ages 10 to 15 (or so) are especially difficult ages – so much going on in the body and mind and fitting-in such a priority. Getting comfortable in their own skin takes time and patience (especially on the part of the parents). This can be an especially difficult time for a child who stutters.
- Comments from participants:
“I enjoyed listening to the experiences of parents with older children.”
“Being here made me feel not so alone.”
Book recommendations that were mentioned:
From Stuttering to Fluency: Manage Your Emotions and Live More Fully by Gunars Neiders
The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting by Brene Brown