Word on the Speech- SLP Help for Parents

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Word on the Speech- SLP Help for Parents

I'm an SLP who supports parents of young children who stutter so that they feel confident in support

12/13/2022

This little twist on the the holiday classic, 12 Days of Christmas, packs in a ton of opportunities to facilitate fluency, language skills (sequencing, descriptive words, complex sentences, etc) AND builds connection with your child! If you've taken my course or have followed me for a while now, you know how important your one-on-one Special Time is to any good comprehensive home program. For those of you who aren't familiar with Special Time, in short, it's little pockets of time throughout the week where connection and fluency are the primary goals. In fact, with my approach this period of time is the only time in which we are really wanting to set up the environment using parent-based strategies to facilitate as little stuttering as possible. Special Time looks a little different for each child & family so tailoring the strategies used is very important (I help you do this in my Keep Them Talking parent-training course).

Whether you are doing special time or not, have one strategy or zero strategies, TRY this little game- I'm almost 100% positive that you'll see a reduction your child's stuttering when playing this cute little game.

I'm hoping that many of you are familiar with the 12 Day of Christmas song? 🎵 No? Not to worry, I'm finding that more and more kids don't know this song either but it's not the song that is so important rather than the pattern of the song that matters- kids usually catch on pretty quickly. Here are a few tips and changes that make the song/game more engaging and successful.

Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions!
Xx-Kelly

11/29/2022

If you’re like me, word of mouth referrals are worth way more than any other marketing tactics. Here are some parents have shared about the Keep Them Talking e-course- these warm my heart and will hopefully speak to yours in a way that you and relate & guides your next step (hopefully it’s with me since I’m offering a free one on one session for any who purchases the course by midnight 12/1!🙌🏼)

11/15/2022

While this statistic is compelling, I personally wasn’t surprised to learn this because I see this “child” pop up in my practice- All. The. Time. I love these kids & I “get” these kids…my own kids could be described by several of the characteristics that I listed as well.

I spend a lot of time in my therapy program talking to parents about this part of their child. How does it manifest in their child? What aspects of HSC help them shine? What aspects are most challenging? Which aspects contribute the most to increasing arousal states, emotional dysregulation, and stuttering? The answer to that last question is usually where we start on the parent coaching side of treatment.

The result? Empowered parents who understand their child for the first time.. a happier & calmer household…a more emotionally regulated child…more empathy and understanding…more connectedness…more room for growth, light-heartedness, confidence, and resilience..and quite often, less stuttering.

When parents understand, adapt to, and honor their child's sensitive nature, these children often develop into very successful, highly conscious thought leaders in adulthood; simply knowing is half the battle!
Well…??? Is your child an HSC? Are you an HSP?! Please share with me!

11/08/2022

Here are four resources that I’ve created for parents of kids who stutter over the years- I hope you find them helpful! Be sure to comment with the corresponding # so that I can get you the link!

#1 (my favorite) I share 7 Truths that I wish I could whisper into every parents ear the second their child started stuttering

#2 (a fan favorite) A handout to share with teachers & family that provides helps them understand stuttering, what your child’s stuttering is like (personalization option) and what they can do to help

#3 A guide to help you know when & how to talk to your child about stuttering (see recent reel for more on this)

#4 This resource will connect you to a 5 part Youtube series where I share 5 ways to use books during your special time for optimal results- so good!

10/28/2022

Here in the US, Halloween is just a few days away but overstimulation and dysregulation run high during any big, exciting, or new event (just ask a teacher how the class does as a whole during “Spirit Week” or Free-Dress Day, etc- answer: not good!) So these “Holiday” tips that I’ve been sharing apply to ANY big, new, different, exciting event- think- family coming into town, parades, festivals, new sibling, vacation, moving, birthday parties, etc- all strategies can be applied. Hope you’re finding these tips helpful!

10/26/2022

If you have a shy child chances are that Building Confidence is your number one wish/worry for them.

This weekend, after no less than a 1,000 requests, my daughter (5yo) got to do a playdate with her “boyfriend” from Pre-K. She started preparing for this playdate, a week in advance, needless to say she was very excited.
So we get to park (still excited), and the minute she sees him, she runs away! When she finally comes back, she insists that I pick up her because she’s “tired.” After about an hour with only a few minutes before we leave, she finally starts testing the waters with Liam.

There was a time where I would’ve said, “Sloan, what’s gotten into you? You asked for this playdate a million times! You’re being silly…And you’re being rude to Liam, go play, you’ll be fine.”

Instead I said this, (suspecting that she got the “butterflies”), I think you just had a big feeling in your body that you weren’t expecting. I’m glad you’re listening to that feeling inside…it’s telling you something important isn’t it? You’ll know when you’re ready.” I did pick her up so that her body could feel my calm and know that it’s safe.

When we push kids from what they are feeling to we think they should be feeling, it teaches them that they are not a good feeler of their feelings & they can’t trust their body/feelings because they should be feeling something else and for someone else (the “You’re being rude to Liam” part). This actually diminishes confidence, bc confidence is all about ✨trusting yourself✨…when you are confident you make decisions based on how it feels to you, not how it feels to others
By listening to her, not pushing her, & not “knowing better,” I was teaching her that the feeling in her body can & should be trusted. Essentially saying, “I believe you & you keep believing you too.”

When you look at shyness in this way, it’s actually a sign of intense self-trust and confidence. No matter how much she wanted to see Liam, she listened to her body first and THAT BUILDS CONFIDENCE 💪🏼

All credit to follow her NOW! I’m so grateful for all I’ve learned from her & I pay it forward to each & every parent that I work with

10/18/2022

If your child’s stuttering increases around holidays, it’s likely not a coincidence. Holidays are inherent to big sensory experiences that can lead to overstimulation, which can result in a temporary increase in your child’s stuttering. Halloween can be especially overstimulating because of heightened fear factors and “gotcha” type scares (a personal trigger for me!).. mix that with excitement, anticipation, changes to routine, changes to sleep/diet and basically you have a perfect recipe for dysregulation, especially for Highly Sensitive Children. So what’s a parent to do? Instead of focusing on result (reducing stuttering), focus on the trigger. By reducing overstimulation and increasing a child’s ability to regulate themselves in those moments (sensory, emotionally, and physically ), we not only teach them essential life skills, many times we see a reduction in stuttering as a secondary result of our efforts.

I’ll be posting a series of tips throughout the holiday season but any of these can be applied to other big events like going back to school, moving, new siblings etc.

08/30/2022

The number one thing parents can do to diminish the negative effects of stuttering & improve their child's quality of life (as well as the entire stuttering community) is to
educate
those
around
them.

⭐️Educated listeners are more compassionate listeners⭐️

Not sure where to start or what say? Not to worry, John Hendricks and his 8 minute video have you covered. This is one of THE BEST PSA's about stuttering I've seen in my career; not only does he explain & illustrate stuttering for the lay-person, he shares his experience of how a stutter feels, and it's impact on his day to day life. At the end, he calls society to action with a simple, yet profound, request:
“Your job [as the listener] is to fill these gaps with your patience."

I hope you will find eight minutes to watch this video as it will no doubt change a person's understanding (and perhaps your own) and view of what stuttering {really} is… and, when shared, will open the world to more compassionate and patient listeners for our kids 🌏🤍
Xx- Kelly

07/16/2022

“Stuttering is back, should we start therapy again?”

A mom recently asked about whether or not to push to restart therapy after her child has already been dismissed- here are some of my thoughts about this common question 🤍

06/13/2022

Let’s just acknowledge that for a moment… The parents journey is a tough one and can be heartbreaking at times. On those really hard days, it's so important to do things that tend to your heart, not just theirs.

As parents, we become so hyper-focused on our children’s well-being, that we rarely prioritize our own (or is it just me?!). It’s easy to forget to take care of ourselves, especially when our children are struggling. I’m here to remind you that you are going through something hard too.
-Watching your child struggle to talk is hard.
-Watching other kids talk so easily is hard.
-Holding your breath every time your child meets someone new is hard.
-Having patience is hard.
-Hearing people tell you that it’s not a big deal is hard.
-Feeling helpless is hard.
-Worrying if they’ll get made fun of is hard.

So what can you do? Here are some ideas that other parents have shared:
-Do something alone, no matter how small, that brings you joy (enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, go for a walk, get a pedi, meet with a friend)
-Do something fun with your child that requires little talking like going for a bike ride or going to a movie- remind yourself of the joy that still exists in them and in you
-Take a break, there is no shame in needing to step away from your child for a few minutes if it’s what you need in that moment
-Talk to someone who “gets it,” and won't minimize your feelings
-Join an online community and support group - join my next Parent-Meet Up (6/16 & 6/18)
-Unplug from groups that only add to your worry
-Check in on your mental health, consider seeing a therapist

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Scottsdale, AZ
85250–85271

Website

http://www.wordonthespeech.com/

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