How to help young people who stammer at school – Toby Hullyer

One way in which young people who stammer can be helped in the classroom is by teachers and members of staff offering support to them by trying to create a calm environment within the classroom. It is typically found that when people who stammer are more fluent in their speech when they are in a relaxed and calmer environment, this maybe because they are not as nervous or excited and can focus more on their own speech rather than other distractions.

Teachers can also help the student who stammers by not finishing their sentences for them and allowing them to finish. However if the student is really struggling to say the words they want to say then the teacher may be allowed to finish the word if the student feels it is too awkward or embarrassing for them to handle. They can encourage the student to say what they really want to say, sometimes stammerers can avoid words they actually want to say and substitute them for words that are simply easier to speak although this would be easier for the student to handle, they wouldn’t be saying what they truly want to say and encouraging them to say what they really want can also improve their confidence. It may take time for this to happen, but in a relaxed environment it might be more likely to happen.

If the class is doing group work or presentations, it may also help if students who stammer are given the option to choose who to work with, this may be friends or people who they feel more comfortable to talk to. If they are doing presentations, give them the option of whether they want to speak in front of the class or not. They can perform their presentation just in front of the teacher if they would feel more comfortable in doing so, or not at all.

Final small things that can make a big difference to the person who stammers can also be maintaining eye contact with them whilst their talking, even when they’re stammering. This shows that the teacher is still paying attention to them and what they’re saying. The child may also benefit from not having people finish their sentences for them as this can help them confidence wise and help them believe that they can finish their sentence. Unless they are really struggling to speak in which case the child may benefit from having someone help them in finishing the word or sentence off, as stated earlier.

Hopefully these things can really make a difference to helping children who stammering in the classroom and help their confidence and overall feel about talking.