By now the child who stammers may have been stammering for some time. Some children may stammer with obvious physical tension and some may have mild, infrequent non-fluencies such as repetitions and sound prolongations.

A particular concern for teachers is the child’s reactions to his stammering and the reactions of others in the classroom. How should the child be expected to participate in class? The answer to this question depends on the individual child. At one end of the scale is the child who may be quite unconcerned and happy to participate like any other child; at the other end there is the child who will avoid speaking at all costs. Most are somewhere in between. If the child is attending Speech & Language Therapy then the therapist will let you know about particular strategies. It is important for the parents and teachers involved to have a discussion with the child to find ways to encourage them to participate without putting too much pressure on them. Sometimes participation requirements become part of the child’s IEP/ASP.