Is it right to make a primary school student who stammers go through a reading test?

Answer 1

The Stuttering Foundation gives this advice on their web site:
"Reading aloud in class
Many children who stutter are able to handle oral reading tasks in the classroom satisfactorily, particularly if they are encouraged to practice at home. There will be some, however, who will stutter severely while reading aloud in class. The following suggestions may help these children.

"Most children who stutter are fluent when reading in unison with someone else. Rather than not calling on the child who stutters, let him have his turn with one of the other children. Let the whole class read in pairs sometimes so that the child who stutters doesn't feel "special." Gradually he may become more confident and be able to manage reading out loud on his own."

Teachers should read the brochure "Notes to the Teacher" at www.stutteringhelp.org under "Brochures for All Ages" - it can be downloaded and printed out to be given to a child's teacher.

Another thing that a teacher can do is to have the child do his reading one on one with the teacher and give them more than one try to do well. Some days stuttering is worse than others and one day of reading may be better.

Answer 2

What does a stammer have to do with reading? Unless you mean oral reading. Standardized tests don't include oral reading. If you mean a teacher-made test, then, it would depend. ANY practice reading and speaking is good, and as long as the teacher doesn't make it seem like a punishment, then it's fine. Also, what grade are we talking about here? Has the child had or is he currently receiving speech therapy? If so, perhaps the teacher could allow his speech therapist to administer the test so it's not intimidating. It depends, though, on how the teacher handles the situation. Talk to the teacher and find out what's going on. That's the only way you're going to be satisfied with your child's education anyway.

Answer 3

Firstly i assume you mean one child out of a class. If it were reading out in front of the other students I would say no, this is definitely not nessesary, remember that children who stutter are often subject to bullying and are very self conscious about their speech. Also there may be other children in the same class that have reading/language difficulties, it is also unfair for these students.

If i were the teacher of this class, and the object of this test was to test the students abilty to understand written information have the children read a paragraph and write their answers on paper.

If the purpose of the test is to assess the students ability to read writen text (expressive ability) I would ensure that it is done in the most comfortable and informal environement, and definitely not infront of other students (perhaps 1:1 for all children, or modify this particular childs test to single words only, this will be easier). I would not suggest having a test for the other children in the class room and having the child who stutters on their own, it will only make the child feel excluded. From an educational point of view it is important to know if the child is able to recognise letters, sounds and words regardless if she/he has a stutter Just remember to be sensitive!

Answer 4

I'd say yep. Good teachers tend to grade to the student. I'd be surprised if the teacher wasn't aware of the child's speech patterns. If the child doesn't "grow out" of the stammering it'd probably be good for his/her self-esteem to realize it's ok to be heard rather than absorbing the perception that "you shouldn't do this because you have a problem" which would be far more damaging than a poor grade in elementary education. If the child grows out of the stammering, they'll come through it with the knowledge that they are willing to try their best in all situations. Positive reinforcement is the key here.

Answer 5

As i work with special needs kids in a primary school i can see where your getting at, and i agree some allowances have to be made to accomodate for every childs needs, but by not participating them at all?
isnt that just making them even more aware that they're not like everyone else? i've seen both sides of it here and i think the best way forward is to make allowances for the kids who do have special needs and are getting help, but still, in this case, give them modified reading tests.

Answer 6

If you are talking about a fluency test, the answer is no. If it is a comprehension test, by all means.

The way you measure reading fluency for a stammerer is to give them one minute to read a certain text, then remove the text and have them answer the comprehension questions covering the target number of words. If they get all the questions right, then obviously they were reading well at the target speed.

Answer 7

Well, the student's reading ability does need to be assessed, but if there is a stammering or stuttering problem, then he needs to be seen by a speech therapist for evaluation. He may be able to read just fine, but reading aloud may be a problem until speech therapy.

Answer 8

I think that it's unfair of it's for an entrance exam or the entire grade on primary school depends on it. However, they might consider grading by effort, since that's what we tend to want to promote in our society for early ages.

Answer 9

Do you mean in front of the entire class??? I can understand your concern. Here in my school system, this child would be receiving speech therapy as part of his/her school day. I couldn't guarantee that the student wouldn't be required to read aloud in front of the class, but he/she would certainly be used to reading in front of people because of the therapy.

Answer 10

At the level they are at. If they are struggling, such as comprehension, etc.... they need help to get them to the level they should be at what grade they're in. Test, of course... how else would you know what level they are at?