Enhancing treatment for school-age children who stutter: II. Reducing bullying through role-playing and self-disclosure

This paper describes several treatment strategies that clinicians can use to help children who stutter who are experiencing bullying and other negative reactions from their peers. Specific strategies include problem-solving activities designed to help the child develop appropriate responses to bullying and a classroom presentation designed to educate peers about stuttering. To facilitate clinicians’ application of these techniques, the strategies are presented in the context of a case study involving a 9-year-old boy who participated in a comprehensive treatment program for stuttering. Following treatment, the child exhibited an increased ability to respond to bullying experiences in a constructive fashion. In addition, negative comments by the child's peers diminished following the classroom presentation. Findings suggest that clinicians can help children overcome bullying and other negative reactions associated with stuttering through a number of well-supported treatment strategies that can be applied in a variety of clinical settings.Educational objectives: After reading this article, participants will be able to: (1) define bullying and teasing and explain the difference between the two experiences; (2) describe two strategies for helping children who stutter successfully manage bullying experiences at school and in other settings; and (3) explain two strategies for educating children about stuttering and about bullying.