In this episode, I talk with Lauren Haines from Busy Bee Speech about childhood stuttering.

Many people don’t realize this, but there are a TON of misconceptions in the general public about stuttering. It’s also a highly specialized area of speech-language pathology, so many clinicians are left feeling unprepared to support stutterers who come to therapy. That’s why I wanted to dispel some myths about stuttering and offer some practical tips for therapists, educators, and parents of school-age kids.

In this conversation, we discuss:
✅What are the signs that stuttering will persist past childhood, and is it possible for kids to “outgrow” speech disfluencies?

✅What does stuttering look like in kids? How do we know when a child needs to go to therapy?

✅What are the key pieces of intervention for stuttering, and what can therapists, educators, and parents do to help?

✅Why “stuttering” should not be an off-limits word when talking to kids about their speech.

✅What’s the cause of stuttering and how can we have realistic therapy goals for kids?

To get more information from Lauren about childhood stuttering, check out these resources:

Busy Bee Speech Fluency blog posts.

Preschool Interactive Fluency Binder.

Interactive Fluency Binder for Speech Therapy.

I’m excited to announce that I’m partnering with MedBridge to help clinicians keep their clinicals sharp and increase patient outcomes and engagement.

That’s why I have a special offer that allows you to get $175 off your MedBridge subscription.

With your MedBridge subscription, you get access to their continuing education library and their client engagement portal where you can share home exercises with your clients. There are membership options for SLPs, OTs, PTs, ATs, and RNs. To get this special offer, use promo code KAREN80 when you sign up for MedBridge here. The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.

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🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

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