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Expert Q&A

	By Mindy Hudon Speech and Language Pathologist

I've been told my daughter uses too many "filler words." What does this mean?

Fillers are "trash words" -- if you don't use them when you write, then you don't need them when you talk. Throw them in the trash!

The over-use of fillers can make the listener think that the talker doesn't know what he or she is talking about. Using a silent pause, rather than a filler sounds more articulate and knowledgeable. Imagine if the President of the United States spoke this way: "Fellow Americans, it's um, like very important that we like..." Would anybody take him seriously?

Surprisingly, children become aware of the over-use of fillers rather quickly. Some children I've worked with have counted how many times they used um or like during the day. One class of students reported that they used 365 fillers in one day. That is a lot of fingernails on the chalkboard!

The children in that classroom made a goal to reduce the number of fillers they used. For them, all it took was for someone to make them aware of the habit in order for them to take practical steps to break it.

What else can you do to help your children reduce the use of fillers?

• Listen to your own speech. Are you using ums and likes frequently? Try to reduce your use of fillers. (This may sound easy, but it can be a difficult habit to break). Remember, you're the best role model for your children.
• Play a game. "Let's see who can use less trash words." Kids love games and competitions and it's a great way to kick the trash word habit. If you find yourself using too many trash words, make it a family challenge!
• Try some homework: Have your children describe their classroom vocabulary and spelling words or retell stories without the use of fillers. "Tell me what this word means. Remember, no ums or likes."
• Reward your children. Positive reinforcement is much stronger then negative comments. "Wow, you did a great job describing that word. I only heard one um!" and "Nice try, I know it's hard to stop using trash words."

Improving your children's ability to intelligently express themselves is a team effort. Parents, teachers and children need to work together to accomplish this goal. Effective communication is a skill that will stay with your children and help them to be successful later on in life. So, let's take the trash out -- and recycle it for the future!

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