Research-Backed Ways to Support Students Who Stutter

From the bumbling animal lover Ken in A Fish Called Wanda to the instantly-recognizable stammer of Porky Pig—when characters with a stutter make it into mainstream media, it’s typically as the butt-end of a joke. The condition, which has its origins in genetics, is often played for laughs, and it’s common to see fictional stutterers sowing confusion or chaos.

Of course, real-life stutterers are very different from their imaginary counterparts. The list of famous stutterers includes many influential orators and leaders—including Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Joe Biden—as well as performers known for the uniqueness and power of their voices, like the late actor James Earl Jones and the singer Ed Sheeran.

And yet, for a multitude of reasons that extend beyond unflattering media portrayals, stuttering is a condition that remains stigmatized. It’s all-too-common for adults to treat kids who stutter as if they’re less capable than their peers, tell them to “slow down” when they’re struggling, or speak over them or complete their sentences, according to a 2022 research review from the University of Georgia’s Emma Thome. Even well-meaning teachers sometimes buy into the myths and misconceptions surrounding stuttering, Thome writes, and may exclude stutterers from presentations and performances, thinking they’re doing them a favor.

WHAT’S BEHIND STUTTERING?

While research into the precise causes of stuttering is ongoing, Thome’s report notes that it—like other language-related conditions—seems to stem from differences in the brain’s processing, in this case leading to a “disruption in the forward flow of speech.” It also appears to have a genetic component; approximately 30 to 60 percent of people who stutter have a close family member who also stutters, a 2016 study notes.

There are a few forms of stuttering, Thome writes, including part- or whole-word repetitions (“My name is J-J-Joey”), prolongations of sounds, (“What did you get m—om for her birthday?”), and inaudible blocks in voicing (“What time does —hockey practice start?”). Some students may also be “covert” stutterers, masking their condition by intentionally appearing to pause and think when they anticipate they might stutter, using filler words like “um,” avoiding certain words entirely because they’re too hard to say, or playing with their glasses or scratching their head to distract listeners from a pause in their language.

“Anywhere between five and 11 percent of preschool-age children will begin to stutter,” Thome writes, but many of these cases resolve naturally, leaving the overall incidence of persistent stuttering at roughly one percent among older students and adults; it's roughly four times more common in males. Contrary to myth, stuttering is not caused by shyness or anxiety. Rather, kids who stutter may feel more shy as a result of their condition, Thome says. And, importantly, research suggests that stuttering is not related to lower intelligence.

Some teachers may be under the impression that they can help their students lose their stutters, but there is no known cure for the condition, Thome reports. Kids typically begin to stutter between ages two and five, but many lose their stutters naturally if they haven’t been stuttering for longer than 15 months, a 1998 study found.

As a result, the students that most teachers encounter “are likely beyond the window of natural recovery,” Thome writes. So, rather than trying to “fix” a student’s stuttering, special education and general education teachers should focus on solutions that “promote acceptance and openness toward stuttering, increase self-confidence, and manage the negative effects of stuttering,” Thome says.

HELPING STUDENTS WHO STUTTER TO THRIVE IN CLASS

In the classroom, teachers may be faced with a dilemma: Should they treat students who stutter the same as their peers, or acknowledge their unique needs and adjust expectations accordingly? The goal is to find the right balance between both, says Minneapolis-based speech-language therapist Sheila Cina. Relying on a set of targeted, compassionate, evidence-based strategies can make a classroom more welcoming for students who stutter, enabling them to learn more effectively. 

Teach the class about stuttering: To create a classroom culture of respect and understanding towards stuttering, teachers can share facts about stuttering so that students learn to view it as a difference, not a shortcoming, Thome’s report states. Sharing informational videos in class can be helpful, Cina says; she recommends the Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research’s recently-published series of short, animated videos told from the perspective of a student with a stutter.

Likewise, elementary teachers can read from picture books that paint stutterers in a positive light—or, at the very least, in a neutral and factually accurate one. Thome recommends A Boy and His Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz, Paperboy by Vince Vawter, Stuttering Stan Takes a Stand by Artie Knapp, and The Zoo at the Edge of the World by Eric Kahn Gale.

Gauge student preferences: “When in doubt, default towards treating [students who stutter] like anybody else,” Cina says. “That’s what most kids want, and that tends to be the best environment for a child to be in.” Don’t avoid calling on students who stutter in class or exempting them from presentations; you might think you’re being sympathetic to their condition, but it tends to have the opposite effect, Cina suggests.

That said, it’s appropriate—and necessary—to make certain accommodations for students who stutter. To figure out which accommodations to make, experts generally agree: Consult with students (and their families) directly. “Before assigning the child a challenging activity, such as a speaking role in a play or a presentation, solicit feedback from the student and their parents,” Atlanta-based speech-language pathologist Tim Mackesey told Edutopia. Some students might be excited to take on a bigger role, and others might not.

Mackesey has found it helpful to ask students to rate their comfort with a particular activity on a scale from one to 10. Meanwhile, Thome recommends gauging students’ needs and preferences with a brief survey at the start of the year, and “offering opportunities for students to update this information throughout the school year.” 

Partner with speech-language pathologists: In addition to consulting with students and parents, Thome’s report recommends partnering with students’ speech-language pathologists.

Thome recommends regular meetings between teachers and SLPs, oriented around discussing “goals for the student who stutters, their unique needs, how to measure progress, methods for upholding classroom expectations in speech therapy, and methods for incorporating speech therapy goals into the classroom.” Teachers can come away from the meetings with ideas for reminders to deliver in class that prompt students who stutter to apply the strategies they’ve learned in speech therapy, Thome writes.

Be mindful of how you call on kids: Cold calling on students has its benefits and drawbacks, but it can be particularly stressful for students who stutter. Mackesey recommends only calling on these students when their hands are raised, and consider opting for yes or no questions which “set the child up for success, both in terms of knowledge and fluency, until they are ready to progress to more complex answers.” (But, again, this can be something you discuss with the student directly; some might be perfectly fine tackling more complex questions.)

Additionally, pause and be patient when students who stutter are speaking; be mindful of facial cues that might signal frustration or a desire for the student to speed up, Mackesey says. “While you might be tempted to say ‘slow down,’ ‘breathe,’ or ‘start over,’ don’t do that, and don’t finish the child’s sentences or words,” he adds. That advice won’t help students speak more fluently, and will likely only make them more self-conscious.

Connect students with a community: It can be helpful for students who stutter to spend time with people who share their condition. Teachers can point students and their parents in the direction of stuttering support groups, which can help participants “discuss unique and shared experiences, seek advice and encouragement, and identify role models,” Thome writes. Local groups can be found through the National Stuttering Association’s website.

Snuff out bullying: One study found that up to 61 percent of students who stutter face bullying, compared with only up to 22 percent of their non-stuttering peers. Teachers should have a zero tolerance policy for bullying related to stuttering—and that should extend to less pernicious forms of bullying, like giggling while students who stutter are trying to speak, Cina says. This goes a long way towards building up students’ confidence: Cina works with one first grader with a stutter who recently told her he’s never nervous about giving a presentation “because I know if the kids laugh at me, my teacher will stop it; she won’t allow that.”

In addition to deploying whatever anti-bullying strategies you already use in class, Cina recommends sitting down with students who stutter to determine what route might be best for them. Some of these students might be working on their own self-advocacy, and would prefer the opportunity to stand up to bullies themselves. Others might prefer more involvement from the teacher. Mackesey suggests “having the bully and the victim sit down after class” to “encourage apologies and forgiveness.”