The candidate card
Setting
Community health centre, paediatric speech pathology clinic
Candidate
You are a speech pathologist. Leo, aged 3, started stuttering about four months ago, and you completed his initial assessment last week. His stuttering is mild to moderate, with repeated sounds and words and some blocks, and his language skills are otherwise developing well. His father, Mr Alejandro Fuentes, has come back without Leo to discuss the results. At the assessment you noticed that Mr Fuentes often told Leo to 'slow down and take a breath' and finished his sentences for him.
Task (interlocutor: parent)
- Find out how the stuttering affects Leo day to day and how the family respond when he stutters
- Explain the outlook for stuttering in young children (many children recover; effective early treatment is available)
- Advise Mr Fuentes on more helpful ways to respond (e.g. giving Leo time, not finishing his sentences, not telling him to slow down)
- Reassure Mr Fuentes that he has not caused the stutter and respond to his concerns
- Agree a plan for treatment or monitoring, including review
In the test you get 3 minutes to read the card and plan, then about 5 minutes to talk. This card is original, written for this site; the interlocutor's card is not shown.
How to approach this card
- Start by asking what Mr Fuentes has noticed at home and what worries him most, before giving results. Ask what happens in the moments Leo gets stuck, so later advice builds on his account, not only on what you saw.
- Give the outlook once you know his worries, because a parent expecting the worst may not take in advice. Keep it balanced: many children recover and effective early treatment exists, but do not promise Leo will recover.
- Raise his own responses through a question first, such as what he does when Leo gets stuck, then link it to what you saw. Offer replacements (wait, keep listening, let Leo finish) rather than a list of faults.
- The usual trap is advice that sounds like criticism. Say clearly he did not cause the stutter, and that how he responds is something he can help with now. Answer each concern he raises before adding more advice.
- If time runs short, prioritise the outlook, one or two changes in how he responds, and a concrete next step with a review. Close by asking him to say back the plan and what he will try first.
Phrases to adapt
Use your own words; these show the register, not lines to memorise.
- Many parents wonder if they did something to cause this. You did not.
- What do you usually say or do when Leo gets stuck on a word?
- Waiting calmly and letting him finish his own sentence gives him the most room.
- Let me check I have explained this clearly. What will you try first at home?
Medical words in plain English
| Term | How you might say it to the patient |
|---|---|
| blocks | Moments when a word will not come out and Leo seems stuck for a moment. |
| repetitions | When Leo says a sound or a whole word again and again before moving on. |
| early intervention | Starting therapy while Leo is young, which can help his speech flow more easily. |
How this card is marked
Two assessors mark the recording on nine criteria: intelligibility, fluency, appropriateness of language and resources of grammar and expression (each 0–6), then relationship building, understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, providing structure, information gathering and information giving (each 0–3). Grade B usually means 5 on each language criterion and 2 on each clinical one. See the AI Speaking practice guide for what each criterion looks for.
More Speech Pathology role-play cards
- Speech sound errors and a request to 'cut the tongue-tie' Private paediatric speech pathology clinic
- Parkinson's disease: intensive voice therapy and the time commitment Hospital outpatient speech pathology department
- Aphasia after stroke: a frustrated husband Home visit, community rehabilitation service
All sets: nurses, doctors, other professions. Your profession's guide: OET Speech Pathology.
Questions about this role-play
Can I tell him Leo will grow out of it?
No. Say many children recover and that effective early treatment is available, but do not guarantee an outcome for Leo. Being honest about uncertainty is also what makes the case for a clear plan with a review rather than waiting and hoping.
How do I raise finishing Leo's sentences without sounding critical?
Ask first what Mr Fuentes does when Leo is stuck, then describe what you saw as something many parents do. Follow immediately with what to do instead, such as waiting and listening. Giving a replacement behaviour feels like help, not blame.
What if he only wants advice and not therapy?
Explore why, and offer options in the plan: starting treatment, or monitoring Leo with a booked review. Either way, agree what would prompt an earlier return. Make sure he leaves knowing the next appointment and what to practise at home.
Sources
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