sa pocket print - stutteringhelp.org · guitarworld,laconfidential, gotham, hamptons, capitol file,...

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www.stutteringhelp.org • 800-992-9392 • www.tartamudez.org

THE STUTTERING FOUNDATIONA Nonprofit Organization Since 1947... Helping Those Who StutterFALL 2008

New Look atStuttering

and EmotionsBy Edward G. Conture, Ph.D.Vanderbilt University

We are grateful to the SFA forproviding us this space to tell youabout the progress of Vanderbilt’sDevelopmental Stuttering Project.In an inter-disciplinary collabora-tion with a developmental psy-

chologist, Dr.Tedra Walden,and support fromNIH’s NationalInstitute onDeafness andOther Commun-ication Disorders,we have beenstudying emot-ional and speech-

language development of 3, 4,and 5-year-old children who do(CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS).

In our most recent sample,we’ve tested over 100 CWS andalmost as many CWNS. We haveproposed to continue this work ona longitudinal basis – if our pro-ject is renewed during a time ofvery tight funding at NIH – to de-termine which of our measures ofspeech-language and emotionpredict those CWS who persist

Edward G.Conture, Ph.D.

By Lisa Scott, Ph.D., The FloridaState University, and WillieBotterill, MSc, Michael PalinCentre for Stammering Children

St. Catherine’s College, OxfordUniversity, was the location forthe eighth Oxford DysfluencyConference held July 3-6, 2008.The conference is organized everythree years and brings together ap-proximately 150 researchers, clin-icians, and people whostutter from around theworld who have a spe-cialized interest in stut-tering. The StutteringFoundation has a historyof co-sponsoring this

conference. This year’s event wasco-sponsored by the StutteringFoundation and the Michael PalinCentre for Stammering Children.

Keynote speakers representedseveral diverse backgrounds re-garding their interests and expe-riences with stuttering. Theirpresentations reflected this di-versity and provided new per-spectives for attendees.

Frances Cook, of the MichaelPalin Centre for StammeringChildren in London and StutteringFoundation Board member,

opened the conferenceFriday morning and in-troduced Professor Marc

Oxford Hosts ConferenceEvent Draws Expertsfrom Around the World

Photos above: The Oxford Universityskyline, Frances Cook of the MichaelPalin Centre, actor Michael Palin, andProfessor Marc Shell.

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Photo of skyline by Nasir Hamid

As we go to press, StutteringFoundation representatives Joe Fulcherand Jane Fraser will join actor MichaelPalin and the remarkable staff of theMichael Palin Centre for StammeringChildren at a reception at 10 DowningStreet hosted by Mrs. Sarah Brown,wife of Prime Minister Gordon Brown,in honor of the work done on behalf ofchildren who stutter. Stay tuned! �10 Downing S treet, London.

10 Downing StreetInside...�Telemundo airs awareness . . 3�Web traffic hits 20 million . . 5�Kids share their thoughts . . . 8�Workshops a success. . . . 6, 7�Songs with stuttering . . . . . 9�Libraries provide help. . . . . 10�MySpace co-leader needed . 13�Back-to-school materials. . . 13

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Shell, the Irving BabbittProfessor of ComparativeLiterature at Harvard Universitywhose address was entitled,Talking theWalk &Walking theTalk. A per-son who stut-ters, Dr. Shellrecently pub-lished a bookcalled Stutter,which pro-vides an in-t e r d i s c i -plinary per-spective ofhow stutter-ing has been described through-out time in art, literature, andfilm. His fascinating addresshighlighted these references andprovided a unique and alterna-tive viewpoint for attendees.

Next, Dr. PerAlm, professor ofneuropsychology at UppsalaUniversity in Sweden and an affil-

iate of theD a n i s hInformationCentre forStut ter ing,p r e s e n t e d“ F l u e n c yDisorders: ADiscussion ofP o s s i b l eCauses andMechanismsFromaNeuro-science Pers-pective.”High-lighting keyfindings re-garding therole of thebrain in stut-tering,Dr.Almsummarizedfor the audi-

ence what is currently known re-garding the underlying neurologi-cal aspects of stuttering. For ex-

ample, research seems to indicatethat stuttering is related to an im-pairment in left hemispheric re-gions of the brain responsible forcontrolling the speech system, andthat the brain partially compen-sates by recruiting regions of theright hemisphere. Dr. Alm thendescribed the associations be-tween traits of basal ganglia disor-ders and stuttering, and furtherproposed that stuttering, at itscore, may be a neurological diffi-culty in speech motor initiation.

On Saturday, Professor PaulDolan, ChairinEconomicsat ImperialC o l l e g eLondon, dis-cussed therelationshipb e t w e e ns tu t t e r ingand well-being inhis talk,“StutteringInto Happiness.” Approachingtherapy outcomes from aneconomist's perspective, ProfessorDolan emphasized looking at ther-apy in terms of costs and benefits,resource allocation, and quality oflife. Conceptualizing quality of lifeas the degree of attention one givesto a problem (i.e., past, present,and future) and the problem’s im-pact on the individual’s thoughtsand feelings, Professor Dolan pro-posed that stuttering is “an atten-tion grabber.”

Therefore, an important aspectof measuring therapy outcomes isto assess how much attention theclient or the family is giving tostuttering at any one point in time,and developing measures that areable to capture the impact of stut-tering on the client's quality of liferather than looking simply at fre-quency of stuttering.

Dr. AnneSmith fol-l o w e dProfessorDolan witha presenta-tion on hercurrent re-search pro-gram, “NewWindow son theOnsetof Stuttering in YoungChildren.” It is known thatadults who stutter exhibit differ-ences from normally fluentadults in motor control, under-standing and processing lan-guage, and in anatomical andfunctional components of thecentral nervous system. What isunknown, however, is whenthese differences emerge. Arethey present in children?At whatage could we expect to observesuch differences?

To attempt to answer thesequestions, Dr. Smith and her re-search team are recruiting 72 chil-dren who stutter between the agesof 4 and 5, who will be seen oncea year for 5 years. Age and gen-der-matched peers are also beingrecruited. Early findings suggestthat children who stutter may ex-hibit some evidence of motor dif-ferences from their typically flu-ent peers, as exhibited by motordeficits on a simple clapping task.

Additionally, on a grammatical-ly simple sentence repetition task,children who stutter demonstrateincreased motor variability fromtheir nonstuttering peers in repeat-ing the sentences. They are also

The audio/v ideo staffset up the equipmentfor ProfessorMarcShell.

Dr. Per Alm uses theanalogy of a hybridcar during his pre-sentation.

Dr. Anne Smith con-fers with a colleague.

The audience preparesto hear from ProfessorPaul Dolan.

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Oxford Continued from front page

Participants camefrom:�Australia�Belgium�Bulgaria�Croatia�Czech

Republic�Denmark�Eire�France�Germany

�Israel�Japan�Malta�Netherlands�Norway�Poland�Russia�Sweden�United

Kingdom�United States

Around the World


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This year’s National StutteringAwareness Week got off to awonderful start early in the yearwhen public service ads ap-peared in March andApril issuesof many national and regionalmagazines.

PSAs have appeared in Time,Good Housekeeping, Parents,Newsweek, Forbes, Parenting,Guitar World, LA Confidential,Gotham, Hamptons, CapitolFile, Wealth Management,Carolina Country, S.C., SchoolNurse News, and newspapersaround the country such as theNew York Post.

The American MedicalAssociation publications, AMANews and JAMA also placed re-cent PSAs, thereby informingthe medical community aboutresources available for stutter-ing from a nonprofit source.

The excellent support of somany magazines brought thetotal of donated space to arecord high over the pasttwelve months.

The Stuttering Foundationextends its heartfelt thanks toall the publications that donat-ed space this year. �

2008 A GreatYear for PSAs

The Miami, Fla.-based NBCUniversal, Telemundo TV station,recently featured the StutteringFoundation Spanish Web site,www.tartamudez.org,as well as SFA re-sources to raise aware-ness and provide helpfor stuttering withinSpanish speaking communities.

Lisette Betancourt, M. A., SLP,of Miami Children’s Hospitalalong with one of Betancourt’sclients, a young girl who struggleswith stuttering and her mother, wasinterviewed by Telemundo re-porter, Diana Montano.

“The two and a half minute seg-ment provides a wonderful wayto reach Spanish speaking parentswith help,” said Jane Fraser,president of the StutteringFoundation. “We know of the im-portance of early intervention for

young children and Telemundo isan excellent source for spreadingthe word.”

The DVD Stuttering: For Kids,By Kids in Spanish and English wasshown as one resource of help forparents and is available for free-viewing on SFAWeb sites.

To view Telemundo’s segment onstuttering, visit www.tartamudez.orgor www.stutteringhelp.org and clickon Telemundo. �

Betancourt discusses stuttering onthe Spanish TV network Telemundo.

Reporter Diana Montano,right, ask s Lisette Betancourtquestions about stuttering.

Betancourt explainsthe Spanishmaterials availablefrom the StutteringFoundation.

Telemundo Promotes Stuttering Awareness

This Telemundo segment shows LisetteBetancourt, M.A., (right) work ingwith a young client and hermother.


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less accurate at repeating nonwords (e.g.,mab). Finally, working memory in thegroup of children who stutter seems to beless robust than in the typically fluent group.Dr. Smith suggested that these preliminaryfindings may be evidence for atypical braindevelopment in children who stutter.

On the last day of the conference, theaudience heard “Why Stuttering TherapyWorks: The ‘Common Factors’,” by Dr.Patricia Zebrowski of the University ofIowa. Dr. Zebrowski discussed research

from the psychotherapyliterature on four com-mon factors that arepresent in any type ofintervention: the specif-ic type of interventionused; the therapeutic al-liance between the clin-ician and client; theextra-therapeutic factorsthat clients “bring to thetable,” such as tempera-ment, resilience, and ex-

ternal support; and, the client’s hope orexpectancy for change.

For the field of psychotherapy,treatment research has yielded find-ings that individuals who get treat-ment do better than clients who don’tgo to treatment. Furthermore, on aver-age, treatment is effective regardlessof the particular intervention approachused. Finally, statistical differences ineffectiveness of various treatments arelikely to be due to client variabilityand clinician expertise rather than thespecific treatment approach itself.

Dr. Zebrowski challenged the cliniciansand the researchers in the audience tobegin thinking of ways to measure thesecommon factors within the context of stut-tering therapy. In such a framework, build-ing evidence for specific treatment ap-proaches would receive less emphasis thanbuilding evidence for the kinds of factorsthat contribute to a client’s improvement influency and in communication. �

Oxford Continued from Page 2

Paul Cooke with graduatestudents from MichiganState University .

PerAlm talks with Jane Fry.

Jane FryandKitSparkes.

Michael Palin, ElaineKelman, and Joe Fulcher.

Lisa Scott atthe StutteringFoundationbooth.

Jane Fraser, Michael Palin, andPatricia Zebrowski at the gala dinner.

SuzanaJacsic-

Jelsic andMirjanaLasan ofCroatia.

ElaineKelmanand AliBerquez.

Jane Coley , JennyYeatman, andDiane Moore.

Joseph Agius fromMalta, Jane Fraser,and Rosalee Shenkerfrom Montreal.

Michael Palin with Keith Boss of theBritish Stammering Association andGro Hartveit of Norway. In the back-groudare Anne Ayre andFrances Cook.

Rosalee Shenker, conference organizerDave Rowley, andRonny Boey.

Barbara MoseleyHarris from Telford,Jenny Graham fromBelfast, NorbertLieck feldt of theBritish StammeringAssociation, andLouise Wright fromCornwall.

MiesBezemerand acolleague.

Dr. PatriciaZebrowski, fea-tured speaker forthe last day ofthe conference.



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The Stuttering Foundationis a proud participant of theCombined Federal Campaign.Please note our number.CFC #11047

Web Traffic Hits20 Million

It seems just about everyhour is rush hour on theInformation Super Highway.

The Stuttering Foundation’sWeb sites, www.stutteringhelp.org and www.tartamudez.org,continue to draw a recordamount of traffic.

Just recently the Web sitehit 20 million visitors since itwas launched just a couple ofyears ago.

It is not unusual to have 1.8million hits in a single monthor 81,382 hits in one day.

The streaming videos, down-loadable brochures, the kidspage, facts about stuttering,and a directory of famous peo-ple who stutter continue to bethe most visited part of theWeb site.

After the United States,most of the visitors comefrom Brazil, Canada, UnitedKingdom, Australia, andIndia, respectively.

Recently an RSS feed wasadded to allow users whosubscribe to be notified whennew content is placed on theWeb site.

A new section for “e-books”has been added to theFoundation’s Web site. This al-lows users to download select-ed books free of charge. �

The Stuttering Foundation of America is atax-exempt organization under section501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and

is classified as a private operating foundation asdefined in section 4942(j)(3). Charitable contri-butions and bequests to the Foundation are tax-deductible, subject to limitations under the Code.

Thanks to the many volun-teers, the Stuttering Foundationexhibit booths have enjoyed ahearty success across the UnitedStates this year as health profes-sionals, educators and SLPs allshowed great interest in themany new materials on display.

North Carolina“The response to the SFA ma-

terials was overwhelming at theNorth Carolina Speech-Language-Hearing Associationconference!” said Rita Thurman,M. S. “It was interesting to seeall the ‘networking’ that oc-curred around the booth. I heardmany discussions that startedlike this: ‘I need help with achild that …’

“There was an atmosphere ofexcitement about services forpeople who stutter that was gen-erated by the booth’s presence,”she said. “So often therapistsfeel overwhelmed and unsure ofhow to treat children or adultswho stutter, I feel that the boothprovided materials to empowerthem in this process.”

West VirginiaThe SFA booth was also well

received at West Virginia Speech-Language-Hearing Associationconference, according to KennethO. St. Louis, Ph.D.

“Many attendees commentedthat they appreciate the SFA pres-ence at their state convention andhope it continues,” he said.

South Carolina“The brochures in Spanish

were especially popular at theSouth Carolina Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Volunteers Across the Country

Kenneth O. St. Louis with EmilyGarnett and Desiree Phillips at theconvention in West Virginia.

DesireeshowsSFAmaterials.

Emilysugggests

a greatSFA book .

Wendy Wingard-Gay worksthe booth in South Carolina.

conference,” said volunteerWendy Wingard-Gay, M.S. “TheCarolinas have seen a dramatic in-crease in the number of Hispanicsrelocating so the Spanish publica-tions are quite helpful for SLPsworking in all settings.”Many thanks to our volunteers! �


By Lisa Scott, Ph.D.,Florida State University

In June, Children’s Hospital ofPhiladelphia (CHOP) and theStuttering Foundation co-spon-sored the second Mid-AtlanticWorkshop in Philadelphia. Twentyspeech-language pathologists fromFlorida, Illinois, Massachusetts,Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey,New York, North Carolina,Pennsylvania, Virginia, PuertoRico, Canada, Spain,Argentina, SriLanka, and South Africa met June18-22.

The workshop was led by co-in-structors Joe Donaher of theChildren’s Hospital of Philadelphia,Kristin Chmela in private practice,Long Grove, Ill., and Lisa Scott ofFlorida State University.

The goals were:• to increase participants’ skills

and confidence in communicatingeffectively with children,

• diagnose the extent and severi-ty of the communication disorder,

• develop appropriate treatmentplans,

• design meaningful therapy ac-tivities, and

• learn to model both fluencyshaping and stuttering modificationtools.

“We placed emphasis on creat-ing relationships with children,families, and teachers to facilitatethe greatest success for childrenwho are working to improve theircommunication skills,” said Scott.“Learning opportunities includedtraditional lectures, guided caseplanning, daily small-group prac-tice of skills, and watching video-tapes of therapy sessions.”

“We were so thrilled to have somany clinicians from a variety ofwork settings devote a week of theirsummer to learningmore about stut-tering,” said Kristin Chmela.

Scott agreed, and added, “Itwas especially interesting to have

Alla Brutter, Shalini Wickremesooriya, Marina Llobera, Belmar Rivera Vila,CarlaMonteleone , Jonathon Robb, Sharon Lee-Sheridan, LauraKhorozov , JoeKlein, Loretta Connolly , Lisa McManama, Ilyssa Fox , Mara Luque, MartineO’Connor, Gina Iaquinto, Shelley Williams, Madelyn Maguire, Sandra Garzon,Anabel Gordon, Ursula Zsilavecz, Joe Donaher. Front row seated: KristinChmela, Jane Fraser, and Lisa A. Scott.

Mid-Atlantic Workshop GoesIInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall6 www.stutteringhelp.org 800-992-9392STUTTERING

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�Sandra Garzon andShelley Williams.

Workshop leaders Kristin Chmela, JaneFraser, and Joe Donaher stand behindGina Iaquinto, Carla Monteleone, MaraLuque, Marina Llobera, and Alla Brutter.

�Ursula Zsilaveczand MadelynMaguire. Joe Donaher,

Lisa Scott, Kristin Chmela,

and Alla Brutter.�

Sharon Lee-Sheridan, LauraKhorozov , and Jonathon Robb.

Mara Luque from Argentina andMarina Llobera from Spain.

Ursula Zsilavecz and Sandra Garzon receiv ing their diplomas.

Gathering for picturesduring the reception.

An evening out with the group.

Alla Brutter andJane Fraser.

Joe Donaherspeaks duringthe workshop.

�Jonathon Robb,Loretta Connolly ,and Joe Klein.

Shelley Williams, Jonathon Robb,Jane Fraser, Sharon Lee-Sheridan,and Loretta Connolly .




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By Diane Parris, M.A.Boston University

This year, the EasternWorkshop at Boston Universityattracted twenty experienced flu-ency specialists from across theUnited States and Canada. Theygathered to learn about the inno-vative cognitive approaches toParent Child Interaction Therapyoffered at the Michael PalinCentre for Stammering Childrenin London.

Frances Cook and Willie Botterillalso provided a “brief taster” of bothCognitive Behavioral Therapy andSolution Focused Brief Therapy.

These two days of training werefilmed by videographer, BobO’Brien and his expert AV team andare now being edited for the SFA re-source library. The final three days ofthis workshop were spent exploringParent Child Interaction Therapy.

Frances and Willie did a masterfuljob of demonstrating a positive ap-proach to problem-solving and par-ent training, focusing on the thera-peutic alliance of child, parent andtherapist. Throughout the training,many interactive exercises helpedattendees develop specific skills inParent Child Interaction Therapy. Alot of time was spent in discussinghow to adapt these techniques witheach client.

Laura Jo McCamey of Montanacommented, “I have found that thestrategies I learned can readily applyto other aspects of my life. I am try-ing to keep the focus so I can imple-ment what I learned as soon asschool starts.”

“I am excited about the direction ofaddressing the cognitive and emotion-al aspects of stuttering,” added BrianHeskin from Colorado.

In their closing comments, partic-ipants reflected that they would prof-it from incorporating new strategiesinto their existing practices. Thewarmth and humor of these experi-enced presenters and the contribu-tions from each attendee made thisan extraordinary program for all! �

Eastern Workshop: Focus on Cognitive Approaches

Back row: Diane Parris, Laura Jo McKamey , Wendy Wingard-Gay , CharleenBloom, Carolyn Belle, Melissa Bruce, Melissa O. Kates, Charlie Osborne, JimTsiamtsiouris, Susan Short, Mercedes Cooper Delaney . Middle row: SarahSmits-Bandstra, Adriana diGrande, Nancy Swartz, Diane Polledri, RosaleeShenker, Donna Cooperman, Patricia Lohman-Hawk, Steffi Schopick , BarbaraThomas. Front row: Willie Botterill, Jane Fraser, Frances Cook , Brian Hesk in.

Adriana di Grande andDonna Cooperman at a coffee break . In back -ground are JimTsiamtsiouris, SusanShort and MercedesCooper Delaney .

Adriana di Grande, BrianHesk in, Nancy Swartz,and Diane Polledri.

Charlie Osborne and Jim Tsiamtsiourisgetting wired.

WillieBotterillgetswired.

FrancesCook andWillieBotterillpresent.

Barbara Thomas,Brian Hesk in, andSarah Smits-Bandstra.

Videographer Bob O’Brienchats with presenters.

Diane Parris wascoordinator.

Adriana di Grande,Diane Parris, WendyWingard-Gay , andBarbara Thomas.

�Sarah Smits-Bandstra and JimTsiamtsiouris.

�Steffi Schopick.



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Speech is like a trainDear SFA:Imagine that your speech is a

train. The train is going across flatland on a bumpy track with no en-gine. The workers of the train,who pull it across the land, areyour speech muscles. The boss,who is directing the work, is you.You must pull slowly and at asteady rate. All of the works mustpull together at the same timewith the same amount of force.Dysfluency is when the train isderailed. To keep the train fromderailing, the workers must worktogether at a slow pace. If theworkers pull too quickly, thebumpy track will make the weightof the train shift so much that thetrain falls over.SeamusE-mail

It takes hard workDear SFA:Hi. My name is Paxton and I’m 8

years old. I’ve been stuttering offand on for several years. When Iwas in first grade I was stuttering

really badly so I kept on workinghard not to stutter. Now I’m in 2ndgrade. When we had spring break, Iquit stuttering and when I got backin school I still wasn’t stuttering!So I hope it won’t come back! But

I’m still working with my speechteacher. She is a really good teach-er. When my stuttering was reallybad, it made me angry. Now I’mdoing better so I don’t mind thatmuch. I hope my stuttering staysaway forever.PaxtonE-mail

It is OK to stutterDear SFA:My name is Frank. I am 9 years

old. My stuttering goes in a pattern.The first year I stuttered and thesecond year I didn’t stutter. When Iwas around 3 or 4, I realized I stut-tered. Then everybody kept makingfun of me. They just say that I stut-ter, and that makes me feel badabout myself. Now I learned to say“It’s OK to stutter” to people whomake fun of me. Then I ignorethem. Then they get bored and theyleave me alone. It makes me feellike the stuttering is gone. No onerealizes it.FrankBrooklyn, N.Y.

Student explains stuttering to classAll eyes were on Paul as he prepared to deliver a presentation to his 2nd gradeclass about stuttering. In his usual cool, confident manner he assured his speechteacher, Karrie Johnson (a graduate student at the University of South Alabama),that he was ready… And he was. They had spent a few weeks organizing andbrainstorming all the information he had learned about his stuttering over the pastyear. Paul, being the firecracker that he is, loved the idea of presenting to his classfrom the very beginning. “ All I did was make a list of possible topics and walkhim through what he wanted to say about each. He came up with most of the ideason his own,” said Johnson. The presentation began with a quiz administered to theclass that exposed facts and myths about stuttering. Then Paul explained how thespeech mechanism works and described different locations and types of stuttering.Next, he passed around a picture he had drawn of a “speech mountain” while heexplained the highs and lows of his speech and the tools that help him “climb backup” when he hits a rough spot. The presentation ended with Paul telling the classabout things people do that hurt and help him when he gets stuck on a word. Asthe class erupted with clapping, Paul proudly smiled back and cast a glance at hismother and sister who had come to support him. �

In the Summer Newsletter, Colton, 7,said, “stuttering is lik e a hockey puck be-cause it starts going fast then it stopssuddenly .” Colton, who liv es in Canada,drew this picture to illustrate his letter.

Paul and Karri e Jo hns o no f Mo b i l e, Al a.

Send letters to SFA, P.O. Box 11749, Memphis, TN 38111-0749 or email [email protected].

Dear SFA: Reader Response

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Editor’s Note: The author is a per-son who stutters. For many years hehas been a collector of “stuttering”songs – the good and the bad!

We all know that there have beennumerous songs of the rock era thatfeature stuttering vocals. EvanyThomas posted a list on the internetentitled “The Top Ten StutteringSongs.” The list in-cludes Foolin’ by Def Lepard, MyGeneration by TheWho, Changes byDavid Bowie, JiveTalkin’ by The BeeGees, My Sharona byThe Knack, You Ain’tSeen Nothing Yet byBachman-TurnerOverdrive, Bad tothe Bone by GeorgeThorogood, Bennyand the Jets byElton John, Sussidoby Phil Collins andLola by The Kinks. This listseems accurate, though a couple ofother tunes are conspicuously ab-sent such as Too Much Time on MyHands by Styx.

Of these songs, Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s You Ain’t SeenNothing Yet is unique in morethan one way. First, it ranks as thefirst song with stuttering vocals toreach the number one slot on theBillboard Hot 100, reaching thatplateau in early November 1974.However, few realize the interest-ing story behind the song. TheCanadian group was led byRandy Bachman, and featured hisbrothers Robbie and Tim, as wellas Fred Turner. The band’s firstmanager was another Bachmanbrother, Gary.

The song was never intended tobe released with stuttering vocals.Randy sang the stuttering vocals topoke fun at his brother Gary, whohad recently stepped down as theband’s manager. It was done withthe intention that it would be given

to Gary and no one else. RandyBachman once said of the situa-tion, “He stuttered. We thought,just for fun…. We’d take this songand I’d stutter and we’d send it tohim. He’ll have the only copy inthe world of this song by BTO.”

However, their record company,Mercury Records, felt that their

soon-to-be releasedalbum Not Fragilelacked a potential hitsong and asked if theband had any leftoversongs. Randy told therecord executives,“We have this onesong, but it’s a joke.I’m laughing at the end.I sang it on the firsttake. It’s sharp, it’sflat, I’m stuttering todo this thing for mybrother.” He agreedto include the songon the album only ifhe could re-record the

vocals. The record company hatedthe second version with the non-stuttering vocals and insisted thatthe stuttering version be released,much to the chagrin of Randy. It be-came the band’s only chart-topper.You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

ranks as not only the first songwith stuttering vocals to hitnumber one, but also the firstwith stuttering vocals to actual-ly be written about a real personwho stutters.

Between 1974 and 1976,Bachman-Turner Overdrive hadsix songs enter the Top 40. Theydisbanded in 1977 and therehave been a couple of minor re-union tours since. It is com-pelling that their former manag-er, the famous Gary Bachman,got on top of his stutteringthrough speech therapy and formany years has been a highlysuccessful realtor in his home-town of Winnipeg, owning andoperating Century 21 Bachmanand Associates for 25 years. �

BTOʼs Song is Unique

Celebrity CornerCelebrity Corner

Bug chews up wordsMy name is Tyler and I am 9

years old and I stutter. I live inLumby, B.C., in Canada. I likesoccer and I go to Scouts. I go tospeech class to learn how to stopstuttering and to be OK with stut-tering. I like to go to my cousin’splace and go to the park. Mycousin’s name is Josh. Josh helpsme by telling me when I’m talkingtoo fast so that I can slow downmy speech. Stuttering is nothingbad, over a million people stutterin the world. I use to stutter lotsbut now I go to the speech teacherAnita, and she helps me stop stut-tering. If you don’t like stutteringand people tease you, ask yourmom to get help from a speechteacher. When I go to talk and Ican’t get the words out I think thatthere’s a big bug inside me thatchews up all the words I’m tryingto say. I slow down and I talk tomy friends more slowly and whenI talk more slowly the bug comesflying out of my mouth and dies.TylerLumby, B.C., Canada

Trouble at lunchI’m 8 years old. I started stuttering

when I was about 5. I stuttered for3 years. Now I go to a speech ther-apist. I feel just fine about my stut-tering. There’s this kid in my classthat imitates me at lunch about mystuttering and that makes me mad.But I just deal with it. I wish hewouldn’t imitate me.ErikSt. Paul, Minn.

School therapist helpsDear SFA:Here is my story. I started stutter-

ing when I was 6 now I am 7. Lastyear I went to a speech therapist.I’ve needed help for a while nowwith my stuttering. They told meif you slide it, start out like this ...sllllide. I don’t like stutteringthough. Near summer time I stut-ter the most. I don’t know why. DylanAllen Park, Mich. �



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Editors Note: Our friend Wonder Nyonifrom Zimbabwe is a person who stutters.He decided to learn more about how hisgeneral physical condition might affecthis stuttering.Says author Dr. Fred Murray about each

person’s quest for fluency , “This called forsearching and self-inquiry . Some of thesequests led toward better organized andmore helpful types of therapy . Others ledinward in a scrutinization for more self-knowledge.”By Wonder Nyoni

Being a stutterer myself, I have dedicat-ed a fair part of my life to studying andanalysing this demoralizing speech disor-der, obviously hoping that one day Iwould crack the code to the cause and at-tain some form of relief. I have requestedinformation on stuttering from varioussources including the world wide web.

Of significance has been information re-ceived from the Stuttering Foundation(SFA). The impact of a self-therapy bookwritten by Malcolm Fraser has beenamazing. This openness that you witnessin sharing reflections on my stuttering isa direct result of encouragement and sup-port obtained from this wonderful book. Itis especially helpful in instances whereprofessional speech therapy is either un-available or unaffordable.

In this brief article, I will focus on theimportance of physical exercises andtheir benefit to me.Physical ExercisesHaving read one or two aspects about

the importance of physical exercise fromFraser’s book on self-therapy, I decided toexplore this phenomenon further. Earlierthis year, I suspended all forms of physi-cal exercises for my body and subsequent-ly increased my calorie intake for aboutthree months.

During this period, I was monitoringboth my breathing rates and stuttering be-haviour. It took about a month and half torealize the substantial changes. Apart fromthe obvious increase in weight that myfriends and family relentlessly commentedon, the other observation was a change inmy breathing pattern. I began experiencingheavy breathing. Consequently, productionof fluent speech was affected.

An attempt to explain this result shedmore light on the relationship between

Doing SelfDiscovery Work


If you read or watch a newsstory on stuttering, please let usknow about it. The StutteringFoundation is accepting nomina-tions for our Media Award,which recognizes reporters whoadvance the public’s understand-ing of stuttering.

Entries must have been pub-

lished or aired between Jan. 1,2008 and April 1, 2009, and mustbe received by April 5, 2009.Please submit copies or tapes of thenews items to the StutteringFoundation, 3100 Walnut GroveRoad, Suite 603, Memphis, TN38111-0749. Call 800-992-9392for more information. �

By Patty ReedPublic libraries are helping

educate people about stuttering.With more and more joining the8,500 that have shelved SFAmaterials, libraries are a realasset to teachers, employers,co-workers, parents, relatives,and those who stutter.

The Atmore Public Libraryin Alabama has made space for“Information on Stuttering” ontheir Web site at www.atmorelibrary.com and included acopy of our home page withlinks to help their patrons whostutter. They have also shelvedevery book, DVD, and videothat we offer.

Little Elm Public Library inLittle Elm, Texas, serves anotherneed in their community. They

have a seizure disorder supportgroup, a diabetes support group, amemory loss support group, andhave materials to help visually im-paired. With our materials, theycan now help those who stutter.

Our thanks go out to public li-braries across the country. �

Libraries Helping Those Who Stutter

Oneida Community Library in Oneida,Wis., shared information on stutter-ing with their patrons during NationalStuttering Awareness Week in May.

This Just in to Our Newsroom...

so many participants from for-eign countries, who shared withus how children are servedwithin their educational andhealth systems.”

“The dedication of these SLPsto helping kids is inspirational.Many children will benefit fromthe talents and interest these in-dividuals have,” added Donaher.

Feedback from workshop par-ticipants included commentssuch as “I really think this weekwill stand out as perhaps themost significant continuing edu-

cation experience of my profes-sional career. Thank you formaking it possible!”

And “this was an excellentworkshop! The length and in-tensity of it allowed time for thesharing of an abundance of in-formation. For the first time,I’m not nearly as anxious aboutworking with a person who stut-ters. This workshop not onlygave me a lot of insight and in-formation, it confirmed some ofthe things I was doing and pro-vided me with a new sense ofconfidence. Thank you for pro-viding me this opportunity!” �

Mid-Atlantic continued from page 6



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Pediatric nurse practitionerssteadily made their way to theStuttering Foundation booth dur-ing the 35th Annual Conference ofthe National Association ofPediatric NursePractitioners atthe OprylandC o n v e n t i o nCenter inNashville, Tenn.

As she has forthe past severalyears, JuneCampbell sharedinformation aboutthe StutteringFounda t i on ’ssupport servicesto medical pro-fessionals forparents of chil-dren who stutter,as well as forolder individuals.

“I was amazedthat over onehundred profes-sionals wanted tobe added to theSFA mailing list,”Campbell said.

Nurse practi-tioners working in diverse set-tings, in turn asked questions ofJune and shared their own needsand experiences with stuttering.

Among the hundreds who vis-ited the booth was a professor of

nursing from Massachusettsgrateful to receive informationto be used in professional train-ing, a past president of the orga-nization sharing her gratitude

for SFA’s liter-ature and pres-ence at manycon f e r enc e s ,and a nursep r a c t i t i o n e rfrom Alabamawho shared in-formation withan adolescentat her church.

Also visitingthe booth weresix nurses intraining fromthe Universityof Tennessee, anurse practi-tioner workingwith neurologi-cally impairedchildren inPennsylvania,and one withadvanced ex-pertise in hyp-nosis. Manyothers shared

how valuable the SFA literaturewas or will be in dealing with themany inquiries they field fromparents, and some shared personalexperiences with stuttering intheir family or friend’s lives. �

Just What the Nurse Ordered

JuneCampbellanswersquestionsduring theNationalAssociationof PediatricNursePractitionersconference.

Sharing the Journey … Lessonsfrom my Students and Clients withTangled Tongues by author LonEmerick, Ph. D., is available againfrom SFA through a special offerwith North Country Publishing.

Emerick, self-ap-pointed inspector ofall the natural wood-land beauty of hisUpper Peninsula,Michigan home, andsevere stutterer,takes readers on anenchanted journeywith stories gleanedfrom a lifetime of experi-ence. The former university professorand therapist combines experiencesfrom his personal life, clients, stu-dents, and his long academic career,into a delightful journey highlightedby 10 maxims for good living.

This 1st Edition printing, with ir-resistible chapters such as “Don’tWear a Raincoat in the Shower” and“Keep Looking for the Pony” isavailable for $10.00, includingpostage and handling, by calling800-992-9392. Take a walk alongwith Emerick through his life-longimmersion in nature, the greatestteacher and detangler of lessons.

Three-time NBA All-StarBob Love will be the keynotespeaker for the 2008 SouthwestFlorida Blue Chip CommunityBusiness Award in Fort Myers onNov. 6.

Stuttering FoundationBoard member JeanGruss recommendedLove, who also serves asa spokesman for theFoundation.

Love overcame poverty andstuttering to become a suc-cessful basketball player.Today he travels the countryspreading his inspirationalstory to students and adults.Love has earned numerous

awards and honors. His lifeis the subject of a documen-tary film that was recently

honored at the Sundance FilmFestival. �

Venturi Featured in New Book

Poignant Look at Tangled Tongues

The Book of Sports Virtues:Portraits from the Field of Play fea-tures a chapter on legendary golferKen Venturi.

The book by Fritz Knapp tellshow Venturi over-came many obstaclesin life including stut-tering to become asuccessful golfer andcommentator forCBS Sports.

The book, pub-lished by ActaPublications, alsomentions how Venturi helps spreadthe word about stuttering by servingas a spokesman for the StutteringFoundation. For more information,visit www.actapublications.com. �

Bob Love Keynote Speaker in Florida



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and those who recover. To study these children, we

have used validated parent re-ports and systematic behavioralobservations of emotions (andrecently child-friendly physio-logical indices) as well as con-versational, standardized andexperimental measures ofspeech and language.

While earlier aspects of this workhave been published, we’d like toshare two preliminary findings indi-cating that speech-language and emo-tions interact to contribute to child-hood stuttering.

Using an experimental proce-dure called“ b a c k g r o u n ds t imu l a t i o n , ”borrowed frompsychologica lstudies of chil-dren in familieswith marital dis-putes, preschool-age CWS andCWNS listenedto three audio-presented two-minute conver-sations that werep r e s u m a b l yoverheard be-tween two speak-ers in the nextroom. One in-volved “flat” af-fect, another“happy” and a third “angry.”Immediately after listening tothese conversations, the childrenprovided a short narrative from atext-less picture book while wemeasured their emotional,speech-language and disfluent be-havior. Findings indicated thatmost children reacted emotionallyin line with the overheard conver-sations, but some children in bothgroups regulated their emotionalarousal better than others.

CWS who engaged in emo-tional regulatory behaviors (forexample, self-soothing) stutteredsignificantly less than for those

who did not; however, forCWNS, no such relation was ob-served between emotional regu-lation and speech disfluencies.Furthermore, decreased emo-tional arousal (reactivity) wasstrongly associated with in-creased expressive vocabularyfor CWNS but not CWS.

Importantly, changes in emo-tion occurred during listening andbefore talking suggesting thatchanges in stuttering may followrather than merely preceedchanges in emotion!

These findings also suggest thatemotional processes relate to speechdisfluencies in different ways for

CWS than CWNS.Likewise, CWNS,when compared toCWS, appear moreproficient at usingexpressive vocabu-lary as a resourceto regulate theiremotions. We areeager to see howphysiological mea-sures of emotion,for example, heartrate variability,corroborate thesefindings.These cross-sec-

tional or one-p o i n t - i n - t i m efindings beg thequestion of wh -

ether differences in emotionalprocesses not only differentiateCWS from CWNS but also pre-dict CWS who do and do not re-cover. To do that, as we haveproposed, we must study childrenlongitudinally using multiplemethods and measures.

Converging lines of evidenceshould help us better understandthe role of emotion in develop-mental stuttering, a link oftenspeculated about, but less oftenempirically studied, especially inpreschool children, the childhoodyears in which developmentalstuttering begins. �

Conture continued from front page

Zimbabwe continued from page 10fear and stuttering. My assumptionis that when one is experiencingfear, the muscle cells are activated inanticipation of the ‘fight or flee’ sit-uation and therefore ‘call’ for moreglucose and oxygen. Any hindranceto the respiratory system exacer-bates the situation and makes it hardto relax and reach a calm state. Andobviously relaxation is vital inmaking easy, trouble-free and fluentspeech. All these connotations gaveme an indication of how normalbreathing is important or at least re-lated to speech production.

After the three-month period, Ibegan gradual physical exercises inthe morning and after work. It tookabout a fortnight to realize a signifi-cant change in my breathing systemagain. Also, when I exercised in themornings before going to work, Iwould generally start the day in agood or ‘happy’ mood. When in thismood, I would rarely stutter. Mostimportantly, I would not becomeconscious about my disorder therebyallaying any fears about stuttering.This relationship has been a majorbreakthrough to my work life sincemost management meetings where Iusually suffer speech disfluency takeplace in the morning.

I therefore conclude that for me atleast physical exercises are not onlyimportant for the respiratory systemor the heart, but also essential to pro-ducing relaxed trouble-free speech.Perhaps, it would be worthwhile forresearchers to pursue this interestingrelationship in a more scientificallyacceptable research method.Post ScriptThese reflections are only intend-

ed for my fellow stutterers and arebased on personal experiences. �

“Converging lines of evidenceshould help us

better understandthe role of emotion in

developmentalstuttering...”

Edward G. Conture

These photos are from the Shashe-Limpopo Predator Research Groupmeeting in Beitbridge, Zimbabwe.

.. . look ing for impala



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By Joan WarnerIt is time to think about back to

school and how to makethis the best school yearpossible for all students.

If a student is stut-tering in the class-room, his or her teach-er will have the firstopportunity to make adifference. Some re-sources include theStuttering Foundation’sbrochures Notes to theTeacher and 8 Tips for Teachers.And a must-see DVD Stuttering:Straight Talk for Teachers answersfundamental questions and offersconcrete suggestions.

This DVD includes a newly up-dated handbook with sections forboth the classroom teacher and theschool clinician.

“Any time teachers are con-cerned about a child’s fluency,”

notes Dr. Lisa Scott, “they shouldconsult with the school speechclinician as well as the parents tomake sure their approach to thechild’s speech is consistent.”

Ultimately, each teacher is partof a child’s team and everyoneshould work in the same direction.

In addition to being practical,Stuttering: For Kids, By Kidshighlights children discussingtheir experiences inthe classroom andsharing what worksbest for them.Trouble at Recess

is a new book that appeals to parents,teachers, the SLP, andthe child who stutters.Eight-year-old author Jamie tells usabout her problems both in and out ofthe classroom. Teasing and bullying,are all addressed openly and calmly.

Peter Reitzes, M.A., CCC-SLP,offers, “Talking openly about stutter-

ing and introducing children to otherstudents who speak like them maybe as important asteaching speakingstrategies [for confi-dence building].”

Reitzes suggests,“Create an open di-alog about stutter-ing with your stu-dents and theirparents, teachers and principles.”

In a school therapy setting, he likesto plan “stuttering cele-brations” with his stu-dents in which they gointo classrooms andteach their peersabout stuttering.

A classic bookthat should be inall back-to-schoolprofessional libraries, Treatingthe School-Age Who Stutters: AGuide for Clinicians includeshelpful dialogues. �

Back-to-School Opportunities for a Promising Year

You just might have what we arelooking for to join our MySpaceTeam. Read on and enter our con-test to become our new Co-Leader.

The response to the launching ofthe Stuttering Foundation’sMySpace page in October 2007 hasbeen truly gratifying, and not just alittle educational, too! Attracting across section of ages and back-grounds and nationalities, the onething these members who stutterhave in common is they all say, “I amso glad I found this group!”

We hand much of that credit tothe Foundation’s long-time friend,Eva Woolwine, group leader forSFA’s MySpace. “It’s been mypleasure to run this group!” Evasays as she welcomes each newmember. And by the time this is inprint, our MySpace may have some300 members!

So now is a good time to find aCo-Leader to help Eva and share inthe fun. If we could clone her, wewould, but we know there is a candi-date equally as interested and dedi-

cated out there!The qualifica-tions are simple:If you are aPerson WhoStutters; know a

thing or two about MySpace designand upkeep; are 21 – 28 years old;enjoy meeting new people; and havea practical, compassionate, fresh na-ture … you may be the one!

The responsibilities are equallysimple: Check the space daily; ac-knowledge/respond to posts; updatethe page face from time to time asdirected; and familiarize yourselfwith the Stuttering Foundation andcommunicate with Eva and the SFAoffice as needed.

We are accepting 250-word essaysthat tell a little about you, your inter-ests and goals, and why you’d like tocontribute to and be a part of this ex-citing opportunity. You should e-mailyour essay, with “MySpace Co-Leader Essay” in the subject line, [email protected] by Oct. 15,2008. We hope to have a winner in

time to celebrate the StutteringFoundation MySpace One-YearAnniversary in October. The topthree applicant’s essays will be pub-lished on our website and the winnerannounced with an introductorysplash on MySpace. This is consid-ered a volunteer position with all thebenefits that come with philanthropy,including the less tangible gift of giv-ing, along with the practical bonus ofan addition to your resume!

“People who stutter have found awonderful place to share ideas, offersupport, and sometimes, just grum-ble about things. But I think always,we end up putting a smile on eachothers faces,” Eva says. “Amazingly,some people are finding other stutter-ers for the first time and I am thrilledto be a part of that discovery!”

We look forward to meeting you,so please send your essay today. Besure to address all qualifications,including practical knowledge ofMySpace design, and Tell Us WhyWe Are Looking for You! �

Wanted: MySpace Co-Leader ... Tell Us Why We Are Looking for You!


3100 Walnut Grove Road, Suite 603P.O. Box 11749 • Memphis, TN 38111-0749

STUTTERINGFOUNDATION

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�Thanks to ads on Google, more than 40,000Web users each week visitthe Stuttering Foundationʼssite, www.stutteringhelp.org.The search engine provides these ads at nocost to the Foundation as a public service.You may have seen the ads; they are locatedon the top or right of Googleʼs search page.

�The Stuttering Foundation Five DayWorkshops will be held in the following loca-tions in 2009: Portland, Oregon;Boston, Massachusetts; Iowa City,Iowa. The Stuttering Foundation paysall tuition costs as well as room andboard for these exceptional in-depthworkshops. Dates to be announced -stay tuned!

�The eleventh annual ISAD On-line Conference, Don’t Be Afraidof Stuttering opens Oct. 1 andends Oct. 22, Inter nationalStuttering Awareness Day. Go towww. stutteringhomepage.com.

�The Second African Conference onStuttering will be held inOugadougou, Burkina Faso,West Africa, from October 30-November 1, 2008. For moreinformation, contact MouusaDao at [email protected] [email protected]

�The Sixth IFA World Congress, August7-9, 2009, in Sao Paulo,Brazil.For more information, visitthe International FluencyAssociation Web site at: http://w ww . t h e i f a . o r g / I F A 2 0 0 9 /IFA_congress_2009.doc

�The 9th World Congress ofthe International StutteringAssociation will take place inBeijing, China 2010. For more in-formation, visit www.bj2010isc.cn/index.php.

�For those interested in joining Toastmasters

International as a way to improve fluency,communication or public speaking skills, theiraddress is: Toastmasters International, Inc.,Attention: Membership Department, P.O. Box9052, Mission Viejo, CA 92690, Telephone:(714) 858-8255; Fax: (714) 858-1207.

�For those wanting to obtain a copy of Self-Therapy for the Stutterer in Japanese,write to Dr. Shokichi Nakajima, 2-21-1Ogawa Machida-shi, Tokyo 194, Japan, tele-phone/fax: 0427 (96) 5092.

�Self-Therapy for the Stutterer is avail-able in French. Write to the Association desBegues du Canada, 2596 A rue Chapleau,Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2K 3H6; 1-877-353-1042. Please enclose $20.00 Canadianto cover printing, postage, and handling costs.

�For those wanting to obtain a copy ofStuttering and Your Child: Questions andAnswers in Hindi, write to: Dr. Sajiv Adlakha,Adlakha Speech and Hearing Clinic, A67Dayanand Colony, Lajpat Nagar - 4, New Dehli-110024, India, or e-mail: [email protected] interested in joining a fluency and publicspeaking skills group should also contact Dr.Adlakha at the above address.

Books on Stuttering or Related Topics�Practical Intervention for Early ChildhoodStammering: Palin PCI Approach byKelman, E. & Nicholas, A. (2008).Speechmark Publishing Ltd: MiltonKeynes, U.K., www.speechmark.net.

�Stammering, Advice for All Ages by ReneeByrne and Louise Wright. (2008). SheldonPress, London, www.sheldonpress.co.uk.

�Speak Freely: Essential Speech Skillsfor School-Age Children Who Stutter byMark Allen, Ph.D., (2007) Speak FreelyPublications, Evanston, IL , www.cfst.com.

�Stutter by Marc Shell. (2005). HarvardUniversity Press, Cambridge, MA.

�Stuttering: An Integrated Approach to ItsNature and Treatment, Third Edition by Barry

Guitar. (2006). Available from Lippincott, Williams& Wilkins, 800-638-3030, www.LWW.com.

�Beyond Stammering, Revised edition byDavid Maguire. (2008) Souvenir Press, London.

�Stuttering Recovery Personal andEmpirical Perspectives by Dale F. Williams.(2006). Available from Lawrence ErlbaumAssociates, Mahwah, NJ, www.erlbaum.com.

�Speech Therapy for the Severe OlderAdolescent and Adult Stutterer: A Programfor Change by George Helliesen. (2006).Available from Apollo Press, Newport News,VA, 800-683-9713, www.apollopress.com.

�The Child and Adolescent StutteringTreatment and Activity Resource Guide byPeter Ramig and Darrell Dodge. (2005).Available from Thomson Delmar Learning,Clifton Park, NY.

�Early Childhood Stuttering: ForClinicians by Clinicians by Ehud Yairi andNicoline Grinager Ambrose. (2005). Availablefrom ProEd, Austin, TX and amazon.com.

�50 Great Activities for Children WhoStutter by Peter Reitzes. (2006). Availablefrom Pro-Ed, Austin, TX, www.proedinc.com.

�Current Issues in Stuttering Researchand Practice by Nan Bernstein Ratner andJohn Tetnowski. (2006). Lawrence ErlbaumAssociates, Mahwah, NJ.

�Sharing the Journey: Lessons from myStudents and Clients with Tangled Tonguesby Lon Emerick, Ph.D. (2001). Available for $10from the Stuttering Foundation at 800-992-9392.

NewsbriefsTM

This newsletter is published quarterly. Pleasee-mail address changes and story ideas [email protected].

Volume17, Issue 3Renee Shepherd . . . . . . . . . . . . . EditorScot Squires . . . . . . . . . . Writer/DesignerSpecial thanks to Joan Warner, Patty Reed,Susie Hall, Pat Hamm, Lisa Hinton, TerriJones, and Carol Ecke.

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