Using Infomercials in Therapy
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About the presenter: Nina Reardon-Reeves, M.S. CCC-SLP is a licensed, certified Speech-Language Pathologist. Presently, she serves several school districts near Dallas, Texas and is employed as a fluency specialist for Frisco ISD. Nina also specializes in providing stuttering therapy services to children and adolescents who stutter in her private practice. She presents interactive workshops for speech-language pathologists, early childhood educators, elementary and secondary educators, and parents at the local, state, national and international levels. She is also the co-author of the Linguisystem's publication, The Source for Stuttering; Ages 7-18, among other titles. |
Using Infomercials In Therapy
by Nina Reardon-Reeves
from Dallas, TX
I frequently check-in with the children and adolescents who stutter that I work with by asking them to explain to me (or someone else in their communicative environment) why concepts presented in therapy work for them. To this end, I recently asked some of my students to write a short "infomercial" on voluntary (pseudo) stuttering. They were told to "sell" this technique to those who didn't understand its use in helping manage stuttering and anxieties related to speaking.
I use the attached template, Make A Speech Infomercial (in PDF format) to assist the students.
The students were assigned to tape paid programming from TV, watch at least one episode, and compile a list of ways in which the viewers were persuaded to buy the featured product. Using this information, the students were asked to script a draft infomercial for voluntary stuttering.
The students created their own scripts, practiced their selling/persuasion techniques and then performed the infomercials on camera in my office. Some students then held a screening in their homes for a self-chosen group of family and friends. One student even had a plan to hold a screening for several peers from his classroom during a school speech therapy session.
The students that participated in this activity rated it "fun" and "cool." I discovered their level of understanding for the chosen technique and their parents (and even peers) gained valuable insight into therapy. In the future, I will expand this activity to other therapy concepts and will also use it in group therapy sessions.
August 14, 2007
