Frustrations (and Fluency)
Frustrations:
1. Although my fertility journey is over, I apparently still have a very difficult time being at an extended gathering with a group of pregnant women. Especially when they are talking about how “if you keep trying it will happen!”
2. My rule-following Marvel Girl’s classroom seems to full of “Negative Behavioral Supports” and many of the kids are suffering emotionally. She said she wants to be in a class “all by myself”. 🙁
3. Fluency. It’s killing me. I had been at my job for over 5 years before I had my first student who struggled with stuttering. This year I have three. Three is a huge number when you feel completely clueless. Every year I try new “rules” and strategies. I was finally going through my grad school notes and came across a very practical article by Runyan and Runyan (1986), which I actually did not recycle (gasp!). I put pictures together of the therapy program and have been using it with my fluency students.
Fluency Rules download
I also found a fabulous guide for parents to support their children who have disfluencies.
What do you think? Do you have any great fluency strategies or programs that work for you? Any advice on how to encourage Positive interventions in Marvel Girls’ classroom? And how about the pregnancy-talk situation? How do I not rain on everyone’s parade when biological clock is exploding?
You know this is why speech therapists are some of my favorite people–my son had speech from K-12 for his stuttering. They were amazing every one of them.
Hi Super Woman,
I’ve enjoyed yiour blog as a fellow SLP and adoptive mom. Just wanted to add a comment regarding the pregnant-woman talk. In my case, I had five pregnancies with multiple losses including a stillbirth, and two daughters, one by birth and one by international adoption, now both grown.
I remember those conversations, always painful for me due to my history of losses. After many years, I now know in my heart that I would never trade either of my children, and so the pain is really part of living… We love, we lose, we grieve and we gain by continuing to love. Each of us has a unique path. I am incredibly grateful for what I have been given.
Debbie in Los Angeles
When those conversations begin, you are totally excused to leave the room and get a fresh glass of wine. Or gin. Or beer.
Poor daughter–I always feel bad for the good kids stuck in rooms full of knuckleheads, it’s as tough on them in different ways sometimes.
From a fellow speech therapist who also struggles with figuring out what the heck to do with fluency kiddos and also from a fellow fertility journey traveler…you are NOT alone! Let me know an email address I can contact you at, if you would like to chat/vent/whatever! Hang in there 🙂
I don’t have any advice…
(I am still right there in that same place (minus actually having children-still waiting on adoption)-but I know in my heart I won’t have any bios)
just hugs for you….