Stuttering and Bullying

Click on the title of this post to read a good article about bullying. It is hard to know how to handle bullying if you see it or think that is what is going on. Since I had uncles who stuttered, I wondered if they were ever teased or bullied, but I never heard anyone talk about it. I think living in a small town where everyone knows everybody is an advantage as anyone who even thinks of teasing also thinks "his mom and dad know my mom and dad." The entire community is a family. I think having close ties to neighbors, school, and church are a big help in the development of our children. In the article, he speaks of talking with the person being bullied; that is good if you know about it and if that person will open up to you. Many children who stutter try so hard to hide their stutter that they most likely won't talk about being teased about their speech. I think it best that parents start talking about stuttering as soon as a child understands, whether it be about their own stuttering or someone elses speech defects. Children soon learn what is "normal" and what is "different." If parents talk about all the ways we are different, both speech and physical, children hopefully will grow up learning that being different is okay and is not something to be teased about. They should be taught what to do if they are ever teased for any reason, encouraged to talk about it, and taught to do something at the onset so it doesn't get worse. Children should also be taught that there are ways to help someone who stutters. The Stuttering Foundation of America has a book about being teased (oh, gee my poor old brain can't think of the title!), a brochure on tips for speaking with someone who stutters, and resources to help teachers. They also have a packet for older students to do a presentation about stuttering. Those that have used it have found that just talking to the class about stuttering has helped as they get more peers "on their side" with education about their affliction.