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Vivian Sisskin, M.S., CCC-SLP, BCS-F, Clinical Professor Emerita at the University of Maryland, and Owner of the Sisskin Stuttering Center, joins host, Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, for the inaugural episode of an ongoing Avoidance Reduction Therapy for Stuttering (ARTS®) Series. In this first episode, Vivian discusses what she calls 'The Essence of ARTS®' through exploring fundamental concepts, underlying theory, rationale, the historical context and more! Tune back in for parts 2, 3, and 4 releasing each Tuesday in the remaining weeks of January 2024. 

Further Resources:

• Yes, Avoidance Reduction Therapy (ARTS®) is for kids, too! Episode with Ben Goldstein, M.A., CCC-SLP
• Avoidance Reduction Therapy in a Group Setting Stuttering Foundation Course
• Open Stutter YouTube Channel
• ARTS® SLP Training Opportunities

Vivian Sisskin , M.S., CCC-SLP, BCS-F is a Clinical Professor Emerita at the University of Maryland, an ASHA Fellow, and a Board Certified Specialist in Fluency Disorders. She served as Coordinator for ASHA’s Special Interest Group 4 (Fluency Disorders), Chair of ASHA’s Council for Clinical Certification in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, and received ASHA’s Media Champion Award. Sisskin served as Vice-Chair of the American Board on Fluency and Fluency Disorders and is a faculty member for the Stuttering Foundation’s Mid-Atlantic Workshop. She was named Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year by the National Stuttering Association. She owns the Sisskin Stuttering Center in the Washington DC area.

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Heather Grossman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-F joins host Sara MacIntyre to discuss Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) and Stuttering. Heather shares how her interest and passion for REBT initially developed, then walks listeners through the underlying rationale, concepts, and principles of REBT. She proceeds to share specific insights into how to incorporate REBT within stuttering therapy, sharing clinical examples throughout. 

Resources mentioned:

• Virtual Learning by Stuttering Foundation Webinar and now CEU opportunity, 'Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy for Stuttering'
• ISAD Paper from 2016, 'Holistic Approach to Stuttering Using Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy'
• 'Bouncing Back from Microaggressions' Paper

Heather Grossman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-F is the Director of the American Institute for Stuttering and has worked with individuals who stutter for over 30 years. She has taught stuttering at numerous universities and is an extremely active member of the stuttering self-help community. She is a regular presenter at both national and international stuttering conferences.

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Marie Halpin, BSc (Hons), CertMRCSLT, HCPC, a Senior Speech and Language Therapist in Ireland, joins host Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, to discuss effectively working with autistic individuals who also stutter (stammer). Marie walks us through terminology and emphasizes the importance of language and the words we use within therapy. She explores neurodiversity affirming zones of practice as foundational to our work, the importance of learning and taking the lead from the autistic community, and general considerations for best supporting autistic clients in a total communication, strength-based manner. Finally,  Marie discusses Palin PCI considerations when working with autistic children, as well as walking us through a research study (linked below).

Article discussed:
'Palin parent-child interaction therapy with children with autism spectrum disorder and stuttering' in the Journal of Communication Disorders, 2022.

Resources mentioned:

• Recent Virtual Learning  by Stuttering Foundation,  'Working with Young Autistic Children who Stutter' with Gemma Clarke
• Stammering Plus training at MPC
• Marie on Twitter @Mariechalpin
• The Therapist Neurodiversity Collective
• The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
• Em Hammond @Neurowild_, Elaine McGreevy, Emily Price (Lee)
• Divergent Perspectives

Marie Halpin has over 11 years of experience working as a SLT. She has a wealth of expertise working with children and young people in health, education and specialist services. Her areas of clinical expertise include Autism and Stammering, and with a particular interest in neurodivergent-affirming support. Her background includes a number of specialist SLT roles in the UK,  which lead to being trained in a range of related therapies, including LevelUp Energy Meters, Attention Autism, Intensive Interaction, TalkingMats, SCERTS, Hanen More Than Words and TalkAbility, Makaton, Lámh etc. This role included working within an integrated neurodevelopmental autism diagnostic team, delivering therapy within mainstream schools and autism classes/special schools, as well as delivering trainings to families, school staff and other professionals. She also worked as a specialist at the Michael Palin Centre for many years. This involved specialist consultations and clinical work with children, young people and their families. She is trained in a wide range of therapies for people who stammer, including Palin PCI, Family Communication Skills Therapy, The Lidcocmbe Programme, The Camperdown Program, CBT, ACT, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy etc. Marie regularly presents training on the intersectionality of autism and stammering and has co-authored research on autism and stammering, as well as having contributed to other related publications. She developed and continues to deliver the training ‘Stammering Plus’ which runs at the MPC since May 2019, and she has presented on this at international levels, including at the Oxford Dysfluency Conference 2021. In recent years, Marie has been working in Ireland, leading on national training for teachers related to SLCN and provision of sustained in-school support to build capac

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Dr. Laura Wilson, Associate Professor at The University of Tulsa, and her former graduate student and collaborator, Gabrielle Cozart, M.S., CCC-SLP, join host, Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, to discuss their recent study published in Perspectives:  'Strategies for Teachers to Support Children Who Stutter: Perspectives of Speech-Language Pathologists.'

Laura and Gabby walk us through their motivation for documenting ways teachers can help support children who stutter in school from the perspectives of SLPs. They share their perspectives of various suggestions, go deeper into the nuance and individualized nature of supporting students who stutter, and share important clinical insights and suggestions for teachers in a comprehensive and thoughtful way.  Above all, they emphasize how teachers can support the communicative competence, confidence, and comfort for students who stutter in a way that meets students where they are. While at the same time also empowering  school-based SLPs and teachers to grow their knowledge and expertise in stuttering to best support their students.  A very timely back-to-school episode that would be beneficial for teachers, school-based SLPs, parents, and beyond!

Article discussed from Perspectives, February 2022:
Strategies for Teachers to Support Children Who Stutter: Perspectives of Speech-Language Pathologists

Resources mentioned:

• Stuttering Foundation's Teacher Page
• FRIENDS: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter
• Teacher page on FRIENDS

Contact Information Discussed:

• Email Ellen through 'Ask the Stuttering Foundation' [email protected]
• Contact Sara with any comments or suggestions: [email protected]

Dr. Laura Wilson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Tulsa. She teaches a graduate course in stuttering, has established a local chapter of a support group for children who stutter, and is a co-founder of OAKS- the Oklahoma Affiliates for the Knowledge of Stuttering- which is  a special interest group for professionals in the state who work with people who stutter. She enjoys learning with and from people who stutter, and has been fortunate to work with fantastic colleagues and students in speech-language pathology who are interested in stuttering. 

Gabby Cozart, M.S., CCC-SLP is a pediatric speech-language pathologist in Arkansas. She has worked in school-based and pediatric outpatient therapy settings. Her interests include stuttering, executive functioning, and literacy. 

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Dr. Ho Ming Chow, Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware and principal investigator for the Delaware Stuttering Project, joins host Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, to discuss a recent article, 'Brain developmental trajectories associated with childhood stuttering persistence and recovery,' in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. Ho Ming and his collaborators, including principal investigator and renowned stuttering researcher, Dr. Soo Eun-Chang from the University of Michigan, conducted the largest longitudinal study of childhood stuttering to date, comparing children with persistent stuttering and those who later recovered from stuttering with age-matched non-stuttering peers, to examine the developmental trajectories of both gray matter volume and white matter volume using voxel-based morphometry. Dr. Chow walks us through the study's development and design (which originated in Dr. Soo Eun-Chang's lab), hypotheses, findings, strengths, limitations, and shares future areas of research interest— all in a very clinician-accessible manner.
Thank you for sharing your work with all of us,  Dr. Chow and for your continued commitment to helping us learn more about stuttering.

Article discussed in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience:
Brain developmental trajectories associated with childhood stuttering persistence and recovery
 Authors: Ho Ming Chow, Emily O. Garnett, Simone P.C. Kenraads, Soo-Eun Chang

Delaware Stuttering Project Website

Dr. Ho Ming Chow, Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware and a principal investigator for the Delaware Stuttering Project, received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. After working as an engineer for a few years, he became interested in studying human cognition and went to Germany for his doctoral study. He obtained his PhD. in Cognitive Sciences with an emphasis on Cognitive Psychology at the University of Osnabrück. He completed his postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health. Before joining the University of Delaware in 2019, he was a research faculty at the University of Michigan and Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware.

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Ellen Kelly, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-F joins host, Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, to kick off a new series dedicated to exploring and supporting the growth of counseling skills in clinicians working with those who stutter (and beyond!). To kick off this series, Ellen and Sara discuss [likely] the most important skill to consider—Active Listening! They break down what 'goes into' active listening, why active listening is so critical in supporting those we work with through their journeys, ways to improve our clinical listening skills, and they share clinical examples and simulated responses (as well as common pitfalls!) throughout.

Active Listening article to help supplement this discussion

For comments/ questions/ suggestions for the Stuttering Foundation Podcast, please email Sara: [email protected].

Ellen M. Kelly, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-F, is Vice President for Professional Development at the Stuttering Foundation where she contributes to the creation and dissemination of resources and provides consultation to those who stutter and their families. For more than 35 years, she has integrated her education in speech-language pathology and psychology to provide specialized clinical practice, education, and research in stuttering within university, medical center, and private practice settings. Reach out to Ellen anytime at: [email protected].

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Dr. Evan Usler joins Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP to discuss a recent paper in JSLHR, "Communicative Fluency and the Experience of Stuttering: A Viewpoint," which is linked below.  Evan shares his synthases of various theories related to our conceptual and practical understandings of fluency. He explores questions like, 'What does it mean to be fluent or disfluent?' 'What is wrong with defining fluency as purely the absence of stuttering?' 'What is superficial fluency vs. communicative fluency?' How does a deeper understanding and meaning of a 'deep-state fluency' fit into the lived experience of stuttering? Evan further explores how an expanded conceptualization of fluency beyond just simply speech production aligns with Sheehan's Approach-Avoidance Conflict, and further, has the potential to be a useful indicator of psychosocial well-being for individuals who stutter.

Article discussed today: "Communicative Fluency and the Experience of Stuttering: A Viewpoint" in JSLHR

For more information on the University of Delaware Stuttering Project, visit the website here.

Evan Usler, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware's Communication Sciences & Disorders Department. Evan is the Director of the Interpersonal Neurophysiology Lab where he studies the interactions between cognition, language, and speech motor control.

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Geneviève (Gen) Lamoureux, a Montreal-based speech therapist, person who stutters, and Ph.D. student studying at Université de Montréal in Montreal, Canada, joins host, Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP, to share her covert stuttering story and to explore the impact of self-stigma from both personal and professional viewpoints.
In this episode, Gen explores how elements identified in research as effective means of reducing (self-)stigma have actually played a huge role in effectively reducing (and healing from) her own self-stigma and enabled her to live well with stuttering. Throughout the episode, Gen shares stories and personal examples which really make the research and concept of stigma truly come to life. 

Links from Discussion (full reference list below):

• Je je je suis un podcast
• Activia Commercial
• Article about Ad

Bio: Geneviève (Gen) Lamoureux is a person who stutters, a speech-language pathologist and a Ph.D. student in speech-language pathology at Université de Montréal in Montreal, Canada. With the SLP Judith Labonté, she co-produces and co-hosts one of the very first podcast in French on stuttering, “Je je je suis un podcast” (meaning “ This this this is a podcast”), from the Association Bégaiement Communication (ABC), a francophone stuttering organization in Québec, Canada. Gen, who used to work as a translator, translated in French Daniele Rossi's Stuttering is Cool: A Guide to Stuttering in a Fast-Talking World as well as John Gomez's documentary, "When I Stutter", and is in the process of finalizing the translation of Stammering Pride and Prejudice: DIfference not Defect. Regularly appearing in the media for stuttering, Gen has also been featured in a pan-canadian Activia commercial in the Fall of 2021, in which she gave a stuttering voice to convey the commercial theme “You’ve got guts”.

References:

• Boyle, M. P., Milewski, K. M., & Beita-Ell, C. (2018). Disclosure of stuttering and quality of life in people who stutter. Journal of fluency disorders, 58, 1-10.
• Boyle, M. P., Dioguardi, L., & Pate, J. E. (2016). A comparison of three strategies for reducing the public stigma associated with stuttering. Journal of fluency disorders, 50, 44-58.
• Boyle M. P. (2015). Self-stigma associated with stuttering: Implications for well-being and strategies for change. In Keynote speech presented at the 8th World Congress of Fluency Disorders of the International Fluency Association (IFA), Lisbon, Portugal.
• Boyle, M. P. (2013). Psychological characteristics and perceptions of stuttering of adults who stutter with and without support group experience. Journal of fluency disorders, 38(4), 368-381.
• Campbell, P., Constantino, C., Simpson, S. (2019). Stammering pride and prejudice. J & R Press Limited.
• Constantino, C. D. (2023). Fostering positive stuttering identities using stutter-affirming therapy. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 54(1), 42-62.
• Corrigan, P. W. (2022). Coming out proud to erase the stigma of mental illness. World Psychiatry, 21(3), 388.
• Gerlach, H., Chaudoir, S. R., & Zebrowski, P. M. (2021). Relationships between stigma-identity constructs and psychological health outcomes among adults who stutter. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 70, 105842.
• Gerlach, H., & Subramanian, A. (2016). Qualitative analysis of bibliotherapy as a tool for adults who stutter and graduate students. J

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Ellen Kelly, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-F and Cara Singer, Ph.D., CCC-SLP join host Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP to discuss a new parent rating scale (18-item), Vanderbilt Responses to Your Child's Speech Rating Scale for Parents (VRYCS),  developed collaboratively by a team listed below, to help support parents' self-perceived responses to the speech of their children who stutter. The VRYCS can help clinicians select targets and assess progress in parent-based, communication-focused early stuttering interventions consistent with family-centered programs such as Palin PCI and RESTART-DCM approaches. Dr. Kelly and Dr. Singer walk listeners through the development of the VRYCS, the factors included based on statistical analysis, it's clinical uses and implications, and future research directions.

To learn more and to access the VRYCS in the appendices:
Validation of the Vanderbilt Responses to Your Child’s Speech Rating Scale for Parents of Young Children Who Stutter
Singer, Kelly, White, Zengin-Bolatkale, & Jones (2022)
Link to the article to access the scale and to read more in JSLHR

Also referenced within:
Palin-Parent Rating Scales

Email Dr. Cara Singer if you have difficulty accessing: [email protected]

Email Dr. Ellen Kelly if you would like support in using the scale or to learn more about its clinical application: [email protected]

For comments/ questions/ suggestions for the Stuttering Foundation Podcast, please email Sara: [email protected].

Guest Bios:
Ellen M. Kelly, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-F,  is VP for Professional Development at the Stuttering Foundation. She is a board-certified speech-language pathologist specializing in stuttering and other fluency challenges. One of her main roles with the Stuttering Foundation is providing consultation to people who stutter, family members, SLPs, teachers, physicians, and anyone else, around the world, who seeks assistance. Prior to joining the Stuttering Foundation, she spent 35 years in academia, teaching in the areas of stuttering and counseling, providing clinical services, engaging in research, and presenting clinical and research findings nationally and internationally.

Cara M. Singer Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, MI. She conducts research related to evaluation and treatment practices for children who stutter and attitudes towards stuttering. Additionally, she teaches and supervises speech-language pathology undergraduate and graduate students in clinical and research settings.