Dealing with a stutter

Dan Evans), Counties-Manukau (Surinder Edwards and Richie Koroi) and North Harbour (Wiremu Mato) have, within a year, coached more than 500 school children in ki-o-rahi in their respective regions and organised provincial school championships.

Independent, local Maori games initiatives are also continuing to inspire those involved at national level. For example, in Northland a Kerikeri school group called ‘Ki-o-Rahi Akotanga Iho’, won the 2008 Maori Sports Award for ‘Best Community Initiative’ in recognition of their innovative approach to cultural sports provision.

Their kaupapa focused on ki-orahi as a cultural learning tool with kapa haka and community service integrated into their mentoring programme. Their legacy can be seen in the twelve schools they mentored including Rangitoto College, Thames High School and Te Kura o Hirangi.

Research shows that students will only gain the maximum educational benefits from the utilisation of traditional games when school management teams and the teachers involved with their facilitation have an agentic positioning with regard to the value of Maori resources and have a vision for successful progression.

Additionally, for schools to effectively sustain traditional games pedagogies after initial interventions, school boards need to communicate effectively with local communities and school management teams need to develop effective ongoing support for their culturally cognisant teachers. In April the NZ secondary schools ki-o-rahi touch nationals will be held in Tolaga Bay.

The 2010 event has special significance because the East Coast region is acknowledged as the original birthplace of the ball game played in NZ more than 1000 years ago. This year it will be celebrated with the completion of a traditionally carved ki-o-rahi field. By Harko Brown, teacher, Kerikeri Primary School.

Teachers can learn about ki-o-rahi and other traditional games by contacting their health boards, regional kaiwhakahaere, runanga, individual practitioners or practicing institutions.

Ki-o-rahi improves students’ strength and co-ordination.

CHILDREN WITH A stutter are often the subject of playground taunts and name calling. However, while the exact cause of stutter is not yet known (it is believed a stutter results from an inherited problem with the neural processing of speech) it is not a result of nervousness or low intelligence, and it affects at least one per cent of the adult population.

Stuttering generally begins in early childhood and that is often the best time for intervention. Treatment for school age children takes longer and is more complex, but can still be effective.

Stuttering includes the repetition of sounds and words, for example “w w w what’s next?” or “this this this one?”; prolongations of sounds, such as “a ssssssong”; and blocking of sounds, ie where the sound gets completely stuck, e.g. “I…….I like rugby”.

There may also be visible signs of tension, as well as feelings of fear, embarrassment and anxiety.

There is no typical student who stutters, as stuttering affects everyone differently with varying degrees of severity. Some children are not at all inhibited by their stutter and they will want to participate in all activities. For other children, it may be affecting academic progress and the development of social relationships.

The pressures of school work and peer relationships can be particularly challenging for the student who stutters.

In the classroom, students are expected to share ideas, present their work orally and ask or answer questions. The student who stutters may be embarrassed and may prefer to keep silent rather than risk stuttering in front of their classmates.

Teasing and bullying is a risk for these students but can be minimised by a school environment that fosters acceptance.

So how can teachers help?

• Encourage respect for others and their differences. • Demonstrate that you value the student who stutters for what they say not how they say it. Use

natural eye contact and allow them time to finish what they are saying. • Consider non-verbal alternatives for the roll. Try ‘hands up’ or a written list that the students mark as they enter class. • Negotiate the order of oral presentations. Speaking earlier may prevent fear and tension developing. • Students who stutter often find it easier to read in unison. If the whole class reads in pairs, this avoids singling out the child who stutters. • Talk to the student individually, as everyone who stutters will have different preferences of how speaking situations should be handled.

Janelle Forman and Rachel Dobbin are speech language therapists at the Stuttering Treatment and Research Trust (START) who specialise in working with students who stutter. Visit www.stuttering.co.nz for further information.