Activities such as smashing clay stutters, popping balloons labeled as big and small stutters, and stomping out wadded newspaper "stutters" require some explanation, in order to make sense to parents and practitioners. These procedures fill several functions. First, they desensitize the child client to mentioning stuttering, which may formerly have been an uncomfortable or taboo topic. Second, the activities serve to separate stuttering from the child's sense of self. By externalizing stuttering - placing it momentarily outside of the child's sense of who he/she is - the client may be free for the first time to attribute feelings and emotions to stuttering which are incongruent with a strong, positive self-concept. By temporarily setting stuttering apart, the child client may be able to freely connect emotions, which are negative, like embarrassment, anger and frustration, to stuttering. As the child expresses some of the negative feelings he/she has understandably accumulated towards stuttering (but not towards him/herself), the child may experience a release of tension. Last, when the clinician suggests smashing and stomping out stutters, or representing stutters with artwork created by the client, he/she is cueing the child that they are not terrible, fearful or frightening things. The child is invited to engage in an activity, which treats stuttering with a bit of humor and levity, thus minimizing it for the moment. In standing apart from stuttering, minimizing it and mocking it, the elementary school aged child has an opportunity for mastery - for using his/her skills, intellect and ability to fantisize, to assume a powerful position relative to stutters, which can be represented, mocked and momentarily destroyed.
