My child has exams coming up. How can their school or college support them?

Exams and assessed presentations which require speaking can be a source of worry for some young people who stammer. They may be concerned that they will have trouble  getting their points across or that they may become tired. They may be feeling anxious about time limits.

If your child has concerns about how their stammer may impact their performance in upcoming exams and assessed presentations you can reassure them that support is available – they can ask for ‘reasonable adjustments’. 

Reasonable adjustments are alterations that your child’s education setting can put in place to take into account, and consequently reduce or eliminate, any disadvantages experienced in relation to their stammer.

Some examples of reasonable adjustments for exams and assessed presentations for children and young people who stammer include:

• Extra time for oral exams and assessed presentations
• Taking breaks
• Smaller audiences for presentations
• Completing a written assessment in place of (or in addition to) an oral assessment, or typing your responses during an oral assessment.

You can approach your school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) to discuss and request reasonable adjustments. If your child has a Speech and Language Therapist, you may find it helpful to ask them to be involved in this discussion.