ABSTRACT
School brings a new environment, new challenges, new competitions, new friends, a new set of expectations and a whole new set of rules to the child. Some children may have already attended preschool nursery groups, but the atmosphere here is informal, and for many children primary school is the first time that they are aware of a need to be accepted by their peers. Even at this early age, children who are either rather tall, or rather short, have red hair, ears which stick out a little, wear glasses, or have any other feature that might be seen as distinguishing are very likely to have these aspects pointed out to them by their classmates. These observations may for the most part be good natured, but even well-intentioned comments can be upsetting, and barbed comments can positively hurt. Relatedly, the onset of school can also very quickly bring into sharp focus any difficulty that a child may have that may set him aside as being different in any way from the norm. Those with any form of obvious physical handicap are at risk, and children with stutters who experience physical difficulty in saying words may be particularly vulnerable. Now the child has to deal not only with a stutter, but the reactions of his peers and his teachers. Some children who stutter find little problem fitting in and making friends. For others, this can be a difficult and lonely time. At a period where it is likely the child is becoming more aware of his difficulty in speech, he now has to deal with negative reactions from his classmates (Franck, Jackson, Pimentel, & Greenwood, 2003), and social rejection and bullying can be a particular problem for many children who stutter (Davis, Howell, & Cook, 2002; Hugh-Jones & Smith, 1999; Langevin, Bortnick, Hammer, & Weibe, 1998). Unlike many with physical disabilities, the child with a stutter may to a greater or lesser extent be able to hide this problem. This in turn may lead to increased struggle, tension and escape behaviour, which may result in more stuttering and more unwanted attention focused on the lack of verbal acuity.
