Planning a teacher in-service for stuttering disorders

This article addresses the need for teacher in-service presentations about stuttering disorders as a means of changing the negative perceptions teachers (and others) may have toward people who stutter. Strategies for in-service planning include keeping the program simple while one engages, encourages, and empathizes with teachers. The agenda for the program includes three key areas: content, experience with children who stutter, and classroom adaptations. Ongoing follow-up with teachers also helps to shape teacher beliefs about stuttering. The article concludes with a discussion about the special challenges faced by the speech language pathologist working in the public schools and ideas about how clinicians can work to overcome these potential barriers.