A University of Mississippi-led study suggests that a telepractice resilience program may help children who stutter develop coping and self-advocacy skills, according to findings published on July 7.
Gregory Snyder, associate professor of communication sciences and disorders, said that for many children who stutter, challenges such as teasing, bullying, and anxiety about negative social reactions can affect participation at school and in their social life. In the study published in the Journal of Fluency Disorders, Snyder and Ole Miss graduate Emily Williams Thornton examined whether a resilience-focused program could address these issues.
"That's where the idea of resilience comes in," Snyder said. "Resilience is not an instruction to accept bullying or to make a child responsible for other people's behavior. It gives children practical ways to regulate emotion, respond to unkindness, ask for support, mentor others, and continue participating in school and social life."
The six-week pilot involved 12 live online sessions delivered to six children ages 8 to 12. The lessons were adapted from a character education video series by resilience educator Brooks Gibbs and covered topics such as coping strategies, emotional regulation, realistic optimism, empathy, and self-advocacy. Gibbs provided his material free of charge for adaptation into the pilot program.
At the end of the study period, more than two-thirds of students showed clear improvement in resilience. The researchers noted that a larger study would be needed to verify these results. "Resilience work is not about getting a child to hide stuttering or treating peer mistreatment as the child's responsibility," Snyder said. "It's about helping children stay engaged, recognize when they need support, and respond to difficult moments with empowerment, self-advocacy and self-respect."
Because sessions were conducted via telepractice technology rather than in person or at specific locations only within Mississippi or nearby areas—students could participate from across the country—Thornton said this approach makes it possible for digital delivery models like theirs to become accessible additions alongside traditional speech therapy services.
