Practical Thoughts Blog

May 19, 2021
My Student Seems to be Gasping for Air!
Speech-language pathologists often ask about children who stutter or have fluency concerns who exhibit “audible inhalations” or gasp for air when engaged in conversational speech. In this blog post, we address 3 scenarios for when and how we might address appropriate breathing strategies in stuttering therapy.

Feb 24, 2021
How Do We Talk about President Biden's Stutter with Our Students?
Nina Reeves shares some thoughts about how to discuss President Biden's stuttering with students. No, don't worry, we're not talking about politics here; just some facts about stuttering.

Sep 17, 2020
Guest Blog: Eden Molineaux
I picked up her title about stuttering (of course), and as I thumbed through the pages, I realized I was reading what I had been thinking and saying for 30+ years! THIS is how we help peers and teachers (and other stakeholders) learn about how to handle stuttering! The cherry on top is that her book also help provide an advocacy perspective for children who...

Apr 22, 2020
What about those "atypical disfluencies?"
Not all disfluencies reflect stuttering. Sometimes, children exhibit "atypical" disfluencies. What in the world do we do with those? Nina Reeves has the answers.

Apr 21, 2020
Resources for Parents of Children who Stutter
Looking for resources for parents of children who stutter? Look no further! Nina Reeves has compiled a comprehensive list!

Apr 16, 2020
Resources for SLPs: Stuttering Therapy, Telepractice, Supporting Parents and More!
Be sure to bookmark this comprehensive list of resources for helping speech-language pathologists develop their confidence in helping those who stutter.

Oct 04, 2019
What are the different approaches for treating preschool children who stutter?
Prior blog posts have talked about the importance of individualized therapy for young children who stutter. This time, Dr. Yaruss provides a brief overview of the available approaches to help clinicians make informed choices that match each child's and family's unique needs.

Oct 04, 2019
Individualized Therapy for Young Children Who Stutter and Their Families
When selecting a therapy approach for a young child who stutters, it is important not to fall into the trap of making blanket recommendations or using the same therapy approach with everyone. Individualized treatment is the key to success!

Jul 31, 2019
How do I know if treatment is indicated for a young child who stutters?
Determining whether a young child who stutters needs therapy is complicated by the fact that most children who stutter in the preschool years actually recover on their own. By focusing on key risk factors, we can make evidence-based decisions about when treatment is most likely to be needed.

Jun 10, 2019
How do I help a child who stutters who also has a cognitive impairment?
Helping children who stutter who also exhibit a cognitive impairment presents a unique seat of challenges for speed-language pathologists. Still, there is much that we can do to help.

May 22, 2019
Is it “developmental stuttering” or “normal disfluency” or “true stuttering” or what?!?!?
The terminology used for describing stuttering has long been a source of confusion for speech-language pathologists and parents alike. In this blog post, Dr. Yaruss argues that we should do away with the old terms and adopt some newer, simpler language for describing stuttering.

Apr 19, 2019
What treatment approach is best for a preschool child who stutters?
Clinicians are often uncertain about how to choose an appropriate, evidence-based treatment approach for young children who stutter. In this post, Dr. Yaruss encourages clinicians to first consider a child's and family's needs before selecting a specific approach.