About this activity
Twelve questions about the experience rather than the mechanics: when did you feel frustrated about your speech this week; what does a bumpy moment feel like in your body; who knows about your stuttering and how did you tell them; what do you want your teacher to do when you stutter; what would you say to a younger kid who stutters. Fluency work that only addresses the speech leaves most of the condition unaddressed.
How to use it in a session
Ask, then wait, and do not fix. These questions produce answers that are uncomfortable to sit with, and the impulse to reassure is what shuts them down. The teacher question is the most immediately useful — it produces a concrete request that can be passed on. The question about what they would say to a younger child who stutters is the one that most often produces something the student needed to hear themselves say. Twelve minutes and no agenda.
What to listen for
Listen for the body answers. Children who can describe where the tension is — throat, chest, jaw — have an awareness that makes modification techniques teachable, and children who cannot usually need that awareness before any technique will land. Notice what they say about who knows: concealment is a strong predictor of how much the stuttering is costing them.
Carrying it home
Families often avoid the subject to protect the child, and the silence is usually read as shame. Asking the family to name stuttering casually — that was a bumpy one, no problem — takes the taboo out of it.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Third through eighth grade, where children can reflect on their own experience but may not have been asked about it.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all twelve prompts are free to use.
- Is this instead of technique work?
- Alongside it. Techniques change moments of stuttering; these questions address how the child feels about speaking, which is what determines whether they speak at all.