I know from the workshop I attended that we aren’t meant to ask a child to self evaluate ‘bumpy talking’. I find that this is something parents often do and I was wondering if you could explain again why we shouldn’t be doing this.

I know from the workshop I attended that we aren’t meant to ask a child to self evaluate ‘bumpy talking’. I find that this is something parents often do and I was wondering if you could explain again why we shouldn’t be doing this.

Stutter free speech is the goal of the program, not stuttering. Therefore it makes sense to ask children to self-evaluate the targeted behaviour. Self evaluation is a desirable but not an essential part of the Lidcombe Program. If the child naturally starts to self-evaluate their speech then this may be encouraged. However, a parent or clinician asking a child to self evaluate a stuttered utterance might be extremely and powerfully negative.