Evaluating and Treating School-Aged Children Who Stutter

ABSTRACT

School-based speech-language pathologists are often called upon to treat children who stutter, though many clinicians have reported that they feel uncomfortable working with this population. Fortunately, there is much that speech-language pathologists can do to help children who stutter speak more easily and minimize the adverse impact of stuttering in both academic and social settings. The purpose of this article is to provide clinicians with a guide to some of the key issues they should consider when working with school-aged children who stutter. The goal is to encourage clinicians to develop a better understanding of how stuttering can affect school-aged children, how the adverse effects of the disorder can be documented so children can be qualified for treatment, and, ultimately, how the negative consequences of stuttering can be minimized through a comprehensive approach to treatment.

KEYWORDS

Stuttering - fluency disorders - assessment - treatment

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