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Student: ___________________________________________
Date: _______________________
Provide a Good Speech Model
1. Model and teach good, patient listening skills. Avoid interrupting, finishing words or sentences, talking for a
student, and require peers to do the same.
2. Reduce classroom speaking activities that are competitive, require fast responding, or have high verbal
performance demands.
3. Monitor your own speech and model smooth relaxed speech, spoken at a deliberate rate. Students tend to
imitate adult speech characteristics.
4. Use a deliberate rate of speech, saying syllables and words slowly and very smoothly, and pausing between
sentences.
5. Use a relaxed, continuous voice to connect words together (this means avoiding a ‘jerky’ ‘stop-and-start’
style of speaking).
6. Model simple vocabulary and grammatical forms. Stuttering is more likely to occur in longer words, words
that are used less frequently, and more grammatically complex sentences. When a child is experiencing a
great number of dysfluencies, simplify language structures and restate the child's complex utterances.
Improve the Child's Self-Esteem
7. Talk with the child (in private), show your support.
8. Avoid pointing out, giving suggestions (slow down, think before you speak), or correcting the student when
he or she is dysfluent.
9. Show acceptance of what the child expresses rather than how it is said. Ask the child to repeat only the
parts of the utterance that were not understood rather than those that were dysfluent.
10. Treat the child who stutters like any other child in the class. - Do not reduce your expectations because of
the dysfluencies. The child who stutters should be expected to perform all class-room assignments,
although additional time may be needed for oral presentations. Take the child aside and talk about oral
presentations, answering questions aloud in class, and ways you can help.
11. Acknowledge/accept dysfluencies without labeling them. - Do not refer to the problem as stuttering.
Instead, use words that the child uses to describe his or her speech such as "bumpy" or "hard." Assure the
child that it is okay to have dysfluencies, everyone does.
12. Help the child feel in control of speech. Follow the child's lead in conversation. Speech will more likely be
fluent if the child can talk about areas of interest. Furthermore, avoid excessive questioning.
Create a Good Speech Environment
13. Provide frequent opportunities for the student to talk when he/she is likely to be more successful (e.g.
when a student is relaxed, when student can give a well-known, familiar response).
14. Suggest that the child cease other activities while speaking. Asking the child to stop other activities while
speaking may improve fluency.
15. Prepare the child for upcoming events. Stuttering is likely to occur when the child is excited. The
emotionality of birthdays, holidays, field trips, and changes in the daily schedule may cause apprehension
and increase stuttering. Discussing upcoming events can reduce the fear associated with the unknown and
should enhance the child's fluency.
Documentation of Classroom Interventions for Fluency
Student: ___________________________________________
Date: ______________________
Teacher responsible: _________________________________
Review Date: ________________
Observe student’s fluency in class at least 2x per week during a 4-6 week intervention period. Date each
observation and rate fluency using the Fluency Rating Scale below. Please give a few specific examples.
Please check fluency behaviors observed: (please check all that apply)
 Student consistently stutters in most speaking opportunities.
 Student stutters when subject matter is new or unknown.
 Student uses excessive “um”, “uh”, “you know,” or other interjections when speaking.
 Student appears to experience “blocks” while speaking where he is unable to get a sound or word out, possibly with
signs of tension (eye blinks, hand clenching).
 Student speaks in a very fast, slow, or uneven rate. (circle one)
 Student stops and starts again when experiencing dysfluency.
 Student avoids speaking situations due to dysfluency.
 Student stutters while reading.
Fluency Rating Scale
1. Frequent or severe dysfluencies consistently interfered with communication
2. Frequent or severe dysfluencies sometimes interfered with communication
3. Mild to moderate dysfluencies consistently interfered with communication
4. Mild to moderate dysfluencies sometimes interfered with communication
5. Occasional normal dysfluencies did not interfere with communication
Intervention #____ __________________________________________________________________
Intervention #____ __________________________________________________________________
Date
RS#
Activity/Notes
Fluency Rating Scale
1. Frequent or severe dysfluencies consistently interfered with communication
2. Frequent or severe dysfluencies sometimes interfered with communication
3. Mild to moderate dysfluencies consistently interfered with communication
4. Mild to moderate dysfluencies sometimes interfered with communication
5. Occasional normal dysfluencies did not interfere with communication
Intervention #____ __________________________________________________________________
Intervention #____ __________________________________________________________________
Date
RS#
Notes, examples
If the student appears to be making progress after six weeks, the next step will be determined at that time. However, if no or little
progress is made after 4 weeks, further assessment can be addressed.