2012 Winter Newsletter

THE STUTTERING FOUNDATIONWINTER 2012 Since 1947 ... Helping Those Who StutterA Nonprofit Organization

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Inside4Tips for college educators, 24Pediatricians issue warning, 34Update on Famous People, 7

Researchers at WashingtonUniversity School ofMedicine in St. Louis haveshown that at least some per-sistent stuttering is caused by

mutations in agene govern-ing not speech,but a metabol-ic pathway in-volved in recy-cling old cellparts. Beyond a sim-ple association,

the study provides the firstevidence that mutations af-fecting cellular recycling cen-ters called lysosomes actuallyplay a role in causing somepeople to stutter. “This was extremely unex-

pected,” says senior authorStuart A. Kornfeld, MD, PhD,the David C. and Betty FarrellProfessor of Medicine. “Whywould impairment in a lyso-somal pathway lead to stutter-ing? We don’t know the an-swer to that. Partly becausewe don’t know very muchabout the mechanisms ofspeech, including which neu-rons in the brain are involved.

SurprisingPathway

Implicated in Stuttering

Stuart A.Kornfeld, M.D.

Experts Gather at OxfordSept. 2011 — St. Catherine’s

College, Oxford, was the per-fect setting for numerous out-standing presentations by ex-perts in the field.The Stuttering Foundation pro-

vided continuing education creditsfor the conference, which wassponsored by the Michael PalinCentre for Stammering Children,endorsed by De MontfortUniversity, Leicester, and orga-nized by Elsevier.“The Stuttering Foundation

was able to film several speakersin the hopes that therapists fromaround the world would profitfrom viewing their presenta-tions,” said Jane Fraser, presidentof the Stuttering Foundation.Joseph Donaher’s presenta-

tion on ADHD was the first to beproduced and has already beenreceived with enthusiasm byspeech-language pathologists aswell as by parents.“Because a growing number of

children are being diagnosed withADHD, therapists working withthese children are facing newchallenges,” said Donaher. In the

film, he answers questions andshares charts and guidelines thatwill help to meet these challenges.The second film now available

features Martin Sommer, M.D.,who dis-cusses theneurophys-iology of

stuttering. During his presenta-tion, Dr. Sommer gives anoverview of essential neurophysi-ological findings that improve ourunderstanding of the pathophysi-ology of stuttering. Other professionals filmed

included Nan Bernstein Ratner,who spoke on evidence-basedpractice; Willie Botterill, whodiscussed truths learned fromthe long history of speechpathology; and Ann Packman,who spoke about the complexrelationship between theory andtherapy in stuttering. The con-sensus from attendees was thatthis was one of the most suc-cessful conferences ever held.

More pics on page 2

Clips from these new DVDs areavailable on our YouTube Channel,www.youtube.com/stutteringfdn

Continued on page 12

Winter2012newsletter_newsletter 1/16/12 7:37 AM Page 1

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Reaching Out to Educators

Editor’s note: This was written inresponse to the October 11, 2011,New York Times article,“HandRaised High, a Stutterer Strugglesto be Heard in Class.”

“The classroom is a challengefor all people who stutter,” saidJane Fraser. “The StutteringFoundation has a list of 8 tips tohelp educators.”

8 Tips for Educators1Don’t tell the student “slowdown” or “ just relax.”

2Don’t complete words for thestudent or talk for him or her.

3Help all members of the classlearn to take turns talking andlistening. All students — and es-pecially those who stutter —find it much easier to talk whenthere are few interruptions andthey have the listener’s attention.

4Expect the same quality andquantity of work from thestudent who stutters as the onewho doesn’t.

5Speak with the student inan unhurried way, pausingfrequently.

6Convey that you are listeningto the content of the message,not how it is said.

7Have a one-on-one conversa-tion with the student whostutters about needed accommo-dations in the classroom.Respect the student’s needs, butdo not be enabling.

8Don’t make stuttering some-thing to be ashamed of. Talkabout stuttering just like anyother matter.Compiled by Lisa Scott, Ph.D., TheFlorida State University

Fluency WorkshopsApplications at www.StutteringHelp.org or call 800-992-9392

THESTUTTERINGFOUNDATION®

A Nonprofit OrganizationSince 1947– Helping Those Who Stutter

2.9 CEUs

with People Who StutterJune 25-29, 2012 — BostonCo-sponsored by The Stuttering Foundation and Boston University

This unique 5-day program will include training in: • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy • Solution Focused Brief Therapy • Palin PCIT (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy) • Family Communication Skills

Willie Botterill,MSc (Psych. Couns.), Reg UKCP (PCT), Cert MRCSLT and Elaine Kelman,MSc, Cert CT, Cert MRCSLT of the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children; Diane Parris, M.S., CCC-SLP, Boston University

Mid-Atlantic Workshop:

Treating Children and Adolescents Who StutterJuly 9-13, 2012 — Philadelphia

Co-sponsored by The Stuttering Foundation, The Florida State University and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Skills taught are based on a multidimensional approach to assessment and treatment.

Joseph Donaher, Ph.D., The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Lisa A. Scott, Ph.D., The Florida State University; and Vivian Sisskin, M.S., CCC-SLP, University of Maryland

Eastern Workshop:

Using Cognitive Approaches

2.9 CEUs

Deadline to apply: March 19, 2012

Each course is of-fered for 2.9ASHA CEUs(Intermedidate level,Professional area).

More from Oxford

Elaine Kelman in the SFA booth.

Kasia Wesierskafrom Polandholds a newDVD.

ARSC Chairman Major GeneralBryan and Mrs. Dutton.

The Right Honorable EdBalls and Jane Fraser.

Frances Cook andSharon Millard.

WillieBotterill


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The temptation to rely on mediascreens to entertain babies andtoddlers is more appealing thanever, with screens surroundingfamilies at home, in the car, andeven at the grocery store. Andthere is no shortage of mediaproducts and programming target-ed to little ones. But a new policystatement from the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics (AAP)says there are better ways to helpchildren learn at this critical age.The AAP first provided guid-

ance on media use for childrenunder age 2 in 1999. Thisconsisted of a recommen-dation in the Academy’spolicy statement, MediaEducation, which discour-aged TV viewing for chil-dren in this age group.The new policy state-

ment, “Media Use byChildren Younger ThanTwo Years,” was releasedin October 2011, at theAAP National Conferencein Boston and published inthe November 2011 issueof Pediatrics. In 1999, there was limited data

on the subject, but the AAP be-lieved there were more potentialnegative effects than positive ef-fects of media exposure for theyounger set.

Newer data bears this out, andthe AAP stands by its recommen-dation to keep children under age2 as “screen-free” as possible.

“The concerns raised in theoriginal policy statement are evenmore relevant now, which led us

to develop a more comprehensivepiece of guidance around this agegroup,” said Dr. Ari Brown, amember of the AAP Council onCommunications and Media. The report set out to answer two

questions: Do video and televisedprograms have any educationalvalue for children under 2? And, isthere any harm in children this agewatching these programs?The key findings include:• Many video programs for in-

fants and toddlers are marketedas “educational,” yet evidence

does not support this. Qualityprograms are educational forchildren only if they understandthe content and context of thevideo. Studies consistently findthat children under 2 do not havethis understanding. • Unstructured play time is

more valuable for the developingbrain than electronic media.Children learn to think creatively,problem solve, and develop rea-soning and motor skills at earlyages through unstructured, un-plugged play. Free play alsoteaches them how to entertainthemselves.• Young children learn best

from - and need - interaction withhumans, not screens. This is par-ticularly true for children whostutter. • Parents who watch TV or

videos with their child may add to

the child’s understanding, butchildren learn more from live pre-sentations than from televisedones.• When parents are watching

their own programs, this is“background media” fortheir children. It distractsthe parent and decreasesparent-child interaction. Itspresence may also interferewith a young child’s learn-ing from play and activities.• Television viewingaround bedtime can causepoor sleep habits and irreg-ular sleep schedules, whichcan adversely affect mood,behavior and learning.• Young children withheavy media use are at risk

for delays in language develop-ment once they start school, butmore research is needed as to thereasons.The report recommends that

parents and caregivers:• Set media limits for their chil-

dren before age 2, bearing in mindthat the AAP discourages allmedia use for this age group.Have a strategy for managingelectronic media if they choose toengage their children with it; • Instead of screens, opt for su-

pervised independent play for in-fants and young children duringtimes that a parent cannot sitdown and actively engage in playwith the child. For example, havethe child play with nesting cupson the floor nearby while a parentprepares dinner; • Avoid placing a television set

Young childrenlearn best

from - and need -interaction with humans, notscreens.

Young childrenwith heavy mediause are at risk fordelays in languagedevelopment...

Pediatricians Issue TV Warning!



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John McGinnis, great grand fa-ther of Vice President Kirk Tarver,stands next to a railcar he de-signed for the Illinois Centralrailroad company in 1944.

Kirk and John Tarver and their Memphis-based Shelby Railroad Service Inc. raised arecord $7,800 to help those who stutter attheir Annual Tin Cup Tournament and Bar-B-Que held October 6 at the WedgewoodGolf Club in Olive Branch, Miss.Jane Fraser and Lisa Hinton represented

the Stuttering Foundation to receive this out-standing gift at the end of the busy day. TheTarvers have used thisevent, held in apprecia-tion of their clients andemployees, to honor thelate Ruth McGuinessTarver, mother of com-pany president andfounder, John Tarver,with a gift to the Stuttering Foundation.“My grandmother stuttered all of her

life,” recalled Kirk Tarver, vice president ofShelby Railroad. “Back in the ‘30s, therewas no help for people who stuttered, buttoday we have resources and avenues ofhelp, like the non-profit StutteringFoundation. She would have loved it – es-pecially that we are both Memphis-based!”“We are so grateful for the dedicated

friendship and support the Tarvers andShelby Railroad have shown us. We knowRuth, a great lady, would be proud!” saidFraser during the event.

Shelby Railroad Remains Reliable Friend

New Reliable 2011

Bar-B-Que On the Links


Stuttering Foundation PresidentJane Fraser and Vice-PresidentJoe Fulcher joined therapists,supporters, and trustees of theAssociation for Research into

Stammeringin Childhood,ARSC, andstaff of theMichael PalinCentre onSept. 20 tocelebrate theopening ofthe newly-re-

furbished facility, which includesa high-tech room named forMalcolm Fraser. The new centre opened in

August and this special eventmarked the move. The purchase of the new

building was funded by charita-ble donations and the refurbish-ment was made possible by agrant from the previous govern-ment with support from theRight Honorable Ed Balls MP.During the celebration,

M i c h a e lPalin gave ap e r s o n a lspeech abouthis father’sstammer. Hedescribed thedifference itwould havemade if spe-

cialist therapy had been availableall those years ago. Speaking on behalf of the

trustees, Lord Egremont de-scribed with great passion hismemories of being a youngsterwith a stammer and his commit-ment to the work of the special-ist therapists at the centre. Ed Balls discussed the chal-

lenge of being a senior politicianwith a stammer and the impacton him of seeing the young peo-


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New Doors Open for Kids Who Stutter

ple working with therapists at thecentre to overcome stammering.Among the guests were Travers

Reid, life president and co-founderof the ARSC, and EmilyThornberry, Member of Parliamentfor Islington South and Finsbury.The Malcolm Fraser Room is

equipped with teleconferencingequipment that enables therapiststo reach children worldwide. “My father would have been

amazed and delighted by the mar-velous work being done at thenew Centre!” said Fraser.

Jane Fraser and Joe Fulcherin the Malcolm Fraser Room.

The new Malcolm Fraser Room.

Lord Egremont recalls his strug-gles with childhood stammering.

Michael Palindiscusses hisown father’sstruggles withstammering.

The Right Honorable Ed Ballsshares what it means to stam-mer in the world of politics.

Malcolm Fraser Honored

Jane Fraser and FrancesCook in front of a por-trait of Malcolm Fraser.



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High Tech at ASHA ConventionQR codes, Facebook, YouTube

and Twitter helped the StutteringFoundation communicate withtherapists during the 2011 conven-tion of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association inSan Diego in November.The efforts seemed to have

paid off with the StutteringFoundation’s selling a recordnumber of resources during thethree-day event.Special thanks to volunteers:

Wendy Wingard-Gay, CharlieOsborne, Lynne Shields, JudyKuster, Chris Walker, Kia Johnson, Joan Babin,Kristin Chmela, June Campbell, Diane Parris,Susan Hamilton, Vivian Sisskin, Kim Krieger,Rosalee Shenker, Kathleen Scaler Scott, TriciaKrauss-Lehrman, Glenn Weybright, Julie Atwood,Vianne Bjornberg, Steffi Schopick, Robin Jones,Tony Buhr, Jane Fry, Vika Tumanova, Fran Cook,Susan Cochrane and Geoff Coalson.

Step 1: Download QRapp to smartphone fromhttp://gettag.mobi

Step 2: Scan QR Code. Step 3: Here Mitch Trichonand Renee Shepherd watch avideo clip.

Step 4:Try it yourself.Download the app athttp://gettag.mobi andscan the QR code atthe top of this page.

While working at the booth, KiaJohnson, Ph.D., used her Twitteraccount several times to encour-age attendees to visit theStuttering Foundation booth.www.twitter.com/StutteringFdn.

Diane Parris, seen here in the blue, usedtexting to encourage fellow therapistsand students to stop by the booth. TheFoundation also took to Facebook to leteveryone know how to find us during theconvention. You can “like” the SFA atwww.facebook.com/stutteringhelp

Reaching Out to Pediatricians from Around the WorldBy June Campbell, M.A., CCC-SLP, BRSFDThey came from near and far,

the young and the old, those un-familiar with the StutteringFoundation, and those veryknowledgeable about its litera-ture and mission. Attendees at the American

Academy of Pediatrics AnnualConference held in Boston,October 2011, representedfourteen countries and thirty-three states. “My mother is going to love

this. I stutter.” commented anine-year-old boy as he picked

up materials while perusing theexhibits on his own.One physician stopped by to

thank the Foundation for its dedi-cation to educating pediatricians.Others stopped by to discuss chil-dren and families they treat, their

own stuttering, or stuttering intheir immediate family. Many pe-diatric residents were grateful toreceive information that has bare-ly been addressed in their training.This was the sixteenth year I

represented the StutteringFoundation. I was grateful for theconsistently warm welcome, pos-itive responses and desires of thephysicians to take the time tostudy the materials we offered.Many asked questions to im-prove their own understanding offluency disorders. Pediatricians came from 33

states and 14 countries.Pediatricians in front of theStuttering Foundation booth.



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What Are They Up To Now?An Updated Look at Spokesmen

To order the Famous People poster, call 800-992-9392.

John Stossel’s new book is dueout in April 2012. Plus, he hostsStossel, a program on the FoxBusiness Network.

Byron Pitts is busy staying on top of thenews as chief national correspondent forCBS Evening News and a contributing corre-spondent for 60 Minutes.

Panthera CEO Dr. AlanRabinowitz was honoredwith Lifetime AchievementAward at the Jackson HoleWildlife Film Festival.

Darren Sproles, now aNew Orleans Saint, hasentered his 7th seasonin the National FootballLeague.

James Earl Jones recently starred inthe Broadway production of DrivingMiss Daisy and will portray a formerUnited States president in the revival ofGore Vidal’s The Best Man, a politicalplay scheduled to open in the Spring.

Nicholas Brendon recentlyguest starred in the ABCdrama Private Practice andthe season finale ofCriminal Minds.

Kenyon Martin, who isnow a free agent, signeda one-year contract toplay in the ChineseBasketball Association.This contract reportedlymakes him the highestpaid player in theChinese league’s history.

Bob “Butterbean”Love, is not only alegendary basket-ball superstar butis now a motiva-tional speaker tomore than a quar-t e r - m i l l i o nteenagers andadults every year.

Ken Venturi wrote andpubished his autobiogra-phy Getting Up and Down:My 60 Years in Golf.

Bill Walton is currently executivechairman of Connect SD SportInnovators, a nonprofit, business accel-erating, trade organization that con-nects and drives growth of the SouthernCalifornia’s sports economy.



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Dennis Drayna, Ph.D., hasserved on the StutteringFoundation Board of Directorssince 2006. He is senior inves-tigator at the National Instituteon Deafness and OtherCommunication Disorders,National Institutes of Health.His current research focuses

on using geneticmethods to identifythe underlying causesof stuttering. “Stuttering is a re-

markably difficultdisorder to study. Itonly occurs in awake,behaving humans thatare otherwise normal,and it likely has itsorigins in the brain,which is inaccessiblefor direct studies,”Drayna explained. “The fact that geneticsplays a role in stutter-ing gives us one of thefew avenues availableto study this disorder,with the advantage thatgenetic studies can leadus to the cells andmolecules that are involved.”Studies to date have identified

mutations in three related genes,named GNPTAB, GNPTG, andNAGPA that explain approximate-ly 10% of familial stuttering.Several lines of investigation arebeing pursued to discover exactlyhow these variant genes lead tostuttering. In one line, biochemicalstudies of the enzymes encoded bythese genes show that the muta-tions lead to a partial loss of en-zyme function, apparently enoughto cause some sort of damage to aparticular set of nerve cells in thebrain, but not so much as to causemore severe symptoms. In another line of investiga-

tion, Dr. Drayna and other re-

searchers are studying whichcells within the human brain ex-press (or “turn on”) these 3 genesat the highest levels, as such cellsare good candidates for the onesthat are damaged or otherwiseimpaired by these mutations. In yet another line of investiga-

tion, Dr. Drayna

and his co-researchers are puttingthese mutations into mice andmeasuring their vocalizations(which are largely ultrasonic), inan effort to develop a mousemodel of stuttering that could beused for a wide variety of studies. “When I started research on

stuttering in 1996, my goal was tobring this disorder into the largerworld of biomedical research,”Drayna said. “I had a strong preju-dice that it was a biological disor-der, rather than a psychological orsocial disorder. We’ve been fortu-nate to identify several causativegenes that reinforce this view, al-though we still have a long way togo to explain all of stuttering.” Other studies in stuttering fam-

ilies are identifying the locationof additional genes that causestuttering, the identification ofwhich will hopefully provide in-sights into the cause of stutteringin the wider population.“One of the biggest influences

on my thinking has come fromgetting to know the stutter-ing community. This hasallowed me to see the im-pact of stuttering on peo-ple’s daily lives,” Draynasaid. “It’s allowed me torealize the seriousness ofthe disorder, and to advo-cate for a state-of-the-artbiomedical research pro-gram to address it.” Drayna received his bach-elor’s degree in Geneticsfrom the University ofWisconsin in 1976. Helater earned a Ph.D. in ge-netics from HarvardUniversity in 1981. Hispostdoctoral fellowshiptook place at the HowardHughes Medical Institute,University of Utah, from1981 through 1985.From 1985-1992, he

worked as a scientist forGenentech. He later foundedMercator Genetics Inc., where heworked as the scientific directoruntil he joined the NationalInstitute on Deafness and OtherCommunication Disorders in 1992.“Science can be a maddening-

ly slow and uncertain process,with many blind alleys and pre-cious few successes,” Draynasaid. “In addition, understand-ing the underlying causes ofstuttering can be a long wayaway from new, more effectivetreatments for the disorder. Butwithout research, we’re left withspeculation and misunderstand-ing. The cause of stuttering de-serves better.”

Meet Board Member Dennis Drayna



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Camp Shout Out SizzlesBy Julie Raynor

In August 2011, 60 speech-lan-guage pathologists, graduate stu-dents and young people who stutter(ages 8-16) attended the inauguralsession of Camp Shout Out held atPioneer TrailsCamp on BigBlue Lake nearMu s k e g on ,M i c h i g a n .Camp ShoutOut is an intensivespeech therapy andrecreation program foryoung people whostutter and a hands-onCEU training opportu-nity for speech-lan-guage pathologists andgraduate students. Participants came to

Michigan from ninedifferent states andGuatemala. Training and treatmentcoordinator and director Kristin A.Chmela, assisted by June H.Campbell, directed and guided thelearning process. Throughout theweek, campers participated in indi-vidual, small and large groupspeech therapy sessions that fo-cused on personal communicationgoals. Speech therapists and grad-uate students planned and led the

therapy activities and also partici-pated in daily ‘problem solving’trainings with Kristin and June.All participants stayed overnight

in cabins on the camp property andate meals together in the dininghall, which encouraged sponta-

neous interactions. During theweek it was difficult to tell whowas having more fun, the campersor the adults, in recreational activi-ties such as the zip line, Capturethe Flag, King of the Water Mat, orTherapist Hunt. New friendshipswere formed and everybodylearned about the power of com-munication. It was not unusual tofind a group of campers sitting to-

gether working on a project duringthe day or a gathering of speech-language pathologists and gradstudents on the dock each nighthaving quiet conversations andwatching the dark sky full of stars.One speech-language patholo-

gist stated, “My eyes were openedto the world of stuttering. Thisweek has given me insights onhow to conduct therapy ses-sions with techniques andemotional support for chil-dren who stutter.”For the 2012 session we are

excited to add a Leader-In-Training program for olderteen campers (ages 16-18) aswell as the addition of KevinEldridge to the program fac-ulty team. We can’t wait!Visit campshoutout.org or

Stutteringhelp.org.

Editor’s Note: A 2009 SFAIowa Workshop attendee, JulieRaynor is truly a force of na-ture. She has done a superbjob organizing and promotingthis camp. The fantastic pub-licity she generated attractedchildren from across theMidwest and even a youngsterfrom Guatemala.



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When moviegoers in the U.S.saw the television ads for theOctober 21, 2011, release of thenew Rowan Atkinson movieJohnny English Reborn, few, ifany, knew that Atkinson, mostfamous for his character Mr.Bean, is a person who stuttered.Unlike some other famous ac-tors, Rowan Atkinson’s stutteris not widely known. However,stuttering still is a factor in hislife. Fans of the British actormight have been surprised toread in the weekly “10Questions” column of theAugust 23, 2007, issue of Timemagazine that one of the tenquestions for the famous actorwas, “Did you ever overcomeyour serious stutter?”His answer was simply, “It

comes and goes. I find when Iplay a character other than my-self, the stammering disap-pears. That may have beensome of the inspiration forpursuing the career I did.”Rowan Atkinson was

born on January 6, 1955,in Durham, England.Rowan was the youngestof four boys. He wassent to two boardingschools, both of whichwere run under the aus-pices of the Church ofEngland. First, it was theDurham Choristers School,which had the reputation of try-ing to push students towards theAnglican priesthood. In his1999 biography, RowanAtkinson, author Bruce Dessau

quoted Canon John Grove as re-membering Atkinson as ‘shywith a slight stutter and a slight-ly rubbery face just like the onehe has now.’ Later, when at St.Bees School, Chris Robson,Atkinson’s A-level physicsmaster, said, “In class he wasvery middle of the road. Therewas nothing outstanding abouthim. I didn’t expect him to be-come a fantastic scientist. Andhe was a quiet lad who walkedhis own path.” However, Robson remem-

bered Atkinson’s school dramacareer more vividly, “But whenhe walked on-stage he was ex-ceptional.” Dessau quotes an-other faculty member at St.Bees as saying, “Even an incip-ient stammer vanished whenev-er the young Atkinson steppedonto the stage.”In fact, a March 24, 2007, ar-

ticle in The Independent statedthat a young Atkinson was bul-lied at the Durham ChoristersSchool because of his stutteringand appearance. Future Prime

Minister Tony Blair, who alsoattended the school and wastwo years younger thanAtkinson, has stated in the pastthat he vaguely remembers thetreatment that Atkinson enduredas a youngster there.Following in his father’s

footsteps, Atkinson earned aM.Sc. in Electrical Engineeringfrom The Queen’s College atOxford. Still acting on the side,he embarked on a Ph.D. in elec-trical engineering for awhilebefore deciding to devote hisfull attention to acting. WhileAtkinson was studying for adoctorate in electrical engineer-ing, Richard Curtis remem-bered the young Atkinsonshowing up at workshops forsketch material for a summerreview at Oxford and neversaying a word. Then the silentone got up and did an originalsketch in which his stutteringdisappeared. Curtis said, “He did a mono-

logue about driving followedby the thing he does now,where he mimes and talks atthe same time. It was unlikeanything I had ever seen. Itwas pure genius.”

He gained attentionby doing a series

WhoKnew?

Mr. Bean?



So we can’t fully explain stutter-ing, but now we have clues.”Genetic clues to stuttering were

first identified in a paper pub-lished in the New England Journalof Medicine in Feb. 2010. In it,Dennis Drayna, PhD, a senior in-vestigator with the NationalInstitute on Deafness and OtherCommunication Disorders and aco-author on the current study,and his colleagues reported resultsof genetic studies on members ofa large Pakistani family, many ofwhom stutter. Among most of the stuttering

family members, they found mu-tations in three genes involved indirecting proteins to the lysosome.These same mutations were pre-sent in many unrelated individualsin Pakistan, North America andEurope who stutter, but not inthose with normal speech. “They found mutations in

three genes that encode a path-way for directing newly madelysosomal enzymes to the lyso-somes,” Kornfeld says. “And itturned out to be a pathway wediscovered years ago. So this is anice collaboration.”Until now, one of the three

genes, NAGPA, had not been im-plicated in any human disorder.This is where Kornfeld and Wang-Sik Lee, PhD, research instructorin medicine at WashingtonUniversity, chose to begin their in-depth biochemical investigation

of the mutations that Drayna’sgroup identified. NAGPA encodes an enzyme re-

sponsible for the last step in “ad-dressing” proteins to the lysosome.Drayna’s work identified three sep-arate mutations in NAGPA in indi-viduals who stutter. And accordingto Lee’s biochemical analysis, allthree of the mutations impaired theenzyme, but each did so in a differ-ent way. In general, mutations in agene often cause the resulting pro-tein to be folded into the wrongshape. Cells are very good at rec-ognizing misfolded proteins anddestroying them. In this case, Lee’s biochemical

analysis shows that two mutationsappear to trap the proteins in thecell’s protein manufacturing cen-ter, though some get out beforebeing destroyed. “It’s not an all or nothing

thing,” Kornfeld says. “Of the ma-terial that does get out, its activityis normal.”But the third mutation causes a

larger folding problem and theproteins are destroyed just min-utes after being made. Such findings offer a glimpse at

possible future therapies for stut-tering. For two of the mutations atleast, the problem is not that theprotein can’t recycle, but ratherthat it can’t get out of the cell’sprotein manufacturing center andgo to the lysosome. If some com-pound can be found that helps theprotein escape, Lee’s work sug-

gests that it would function nor-mally. But Kornfeld cautions thatthis type of therapy for stutteringis a long way off. “There are billions of neurons

in the brain, and we have very lit-tle idea which neurons are in-volved in speech,” he says. “Ourmain finding is that these threemutations in NAGPA in peoplewith persistent stuttering all haveharmful effects. This is biochemi-cal evidence that these mutationsare meaningful, and not just mark-ers of some other genetic changethat is the real cause.”Having described the three

harmful mutations in NAGPA,Kornfeld’s group is now perform-ing biochemical analyses on theother two mutated genes Drayna’sgroup identified – GNPTAB andGNPTG. Drayna and his col-leagues estimate that these threemutated genes account for onlyabout 10 percent of people whostutter with a family history. Assuch, they are continuing thesearch for additional genes re-sponsible for stuttering. The research is available in the

Journal of Biological Chemistry.Lee WS, Kang C, Drayna D, Kornfeld S. Analysis

of mannose 6-phosphate uncovering enzyme muta-tions associated with persistent stuttering. Journal ofBiological Chemistry. Nov. 18, 2011.Kang C, Riazuddin S, Mundorff J, Krasnewich

D, Friedman P, Mullikin JC, Drayna D. Mutationsin the lysosomal enzyme-targeting pathway andpersistent stuttering. The New England Journal ofMedicine. Feb. 2010. This work was supported by grants from the

National Institutes of Health (NIH) and from theNational Institute on Deafness and OtherCommunication Disorders, which is a part of the NIH,and from the Malcolm Fraser Foundation.


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in the child’s bedroom; and• Recognize that their own

media use can have a negative ef-fect on children.The report also recommends

further research into the long-termeffects of early media exposure onchildren’s future physical, mentaland social health.According to Dr. Brown, “In

today’s ‘achievement culture,’ thebest thing you can do for your

young child is to give her a chanceto have unstructured play—bothwith you and independently.Children need this in order to fig-

ure out how the world works.”Jane Fraser, president of the

Stuttering Foundation concurswith these findings, “Televisionviewing, even if only in the back-ground, can be very distractingfor a young child learning tospeak; and it reduces ‘talk time’in the family. All families, butparticularly families with childrenwho stutter, will profit fromchanging their home environmentto promote more fluent speech.”

Pathway Continued from front page

TV Continued from page 3


By Jane Fraser

In the 1970s, Charles Van Riperand my father, Malcolm Fraser, ex-changed extensive correspondenceabout the need for specialty trainingin stuttering.Together, they decided that a

whole year should be dedicated to-wards training a specialist and to-wards deciding what should be in-cluded in that training. The veryfirst specialist trained in such a wayby Dr. Van Riper was Carl Dell andhis training was sponsored by theStuttering Foundation, known asthe Speech Foundation at that time.Treating The School-Age Child

Who Stutters: A Guide forClinicians is an outgrowth of thatyear’s work. But having only oneperson trained a year did not solvethe problem of having more special-ists available.So, in 1984 Hugo Gregory volun-

teered to give up two weeks of hissummer towards training 20 thera-pists to become specialists in stut-tering. He was joined by JuneCampbell, Diane Hill, and CarolynGregory; and Dean Williams, ourVice President for Education, repre-sented the Stuttering Foundation atthe two week sessions as did JoeFulcher and I. That was the begin-ning of the Stuttering Foundation’s“specialists in stuttering” program.We also sent out press releases in

the early 1980s to educate the publicabout stuttering and recommendingthat they always seek out a special-ist. We continue to use that term,“specialist in stuttering,” as we seekto educate parents as much today aswe did in the 80s and 90s.

some clinical nuggetsfrom the book

By Voon Pang

Editor’s Note: Voon Pang fromNew Zealand attended the StutteringFoundation two week EasternWorkshop in July 2011 and has start-ed a dynamic SFA Workshop Alumnidiscussion group on Yahoogroups.For information on joining the

Yahoogroup, please e-mail us [email protected] month Voon presents a

Resource of the Month with a briefsummary of what he has found tobe helpful. Below are some of hisnotes from Treating the School-Age Child Who Stutters.notes from the introduction• School-based SLPs provide ac-

ceptance, warmth and understandingin a safe environment and help chil-dren feel cared for.

notes on borderline stuttering• Clinicians sometimes have a fear

of making the child’s stuttering worse,either by drawing attention to it or bydoing something wrong in therapy.These two points can be refuted. It isvery likely that many people have al-ready been critical of the child’s stut-tering. Because of their resilience,children are rarely affected for verylong if something goes wrong.• Any good clinician will make a

mistake occasionally, but she isquick to recognize it and make ap-propriate adjustments (p. 13).• For the child with borderline stut-

tering, it is wise to spread diagnosticsessions over a period of time, such

as once a week for several weeks be-cause many children have cycles inwhich they alternate between fluencyand stuttering. • Some children become very good

at hiding their stuttering because theydo not want anyone to find out.• It is important to conduct a thor-

ough evaluation with school-agedchildren and observe the child in avariety of speaking situations.• Two important things a clini-

cian can do when talking aboutstuttering in the evaluation are 1)be casual with your approach toshow that you are not shocked bystuttering and you have seen suchthings before; and 2) to be able tooccasionally demonstrate thechild’s disfluency, without beingupset. This shows the child that heis not the only one who talks likehe does and that others can stutterat will and that stuttering need notbe involuntary.• Both of these points can help the

child come to the realization thatstuttering need not be feared and thatit isn’t a shameful thing.notes on indirect therapy for borderline stuttering• Children with little or no

struggle or tension who haveneither shame nor guilt but stillhave too many fluency errorsshould be seen for treatment.Their stuttering responds quick-ly to therapy.• By echoing or reflecting what

the child has said, the clinician oc-casionally provides him with abetter model of stuttering than thekind the child demonstrates (e.g.C: “oh, look here’s an a-a-a-alliga-tor,” SLP: “that’s right, an a-alli-gator”). The child in essence isbeing corrected without his beingaware of it which is vastly differ-ent from the kind of direct correc-tion from his parents and class-mates (Say it again! Slow down!Don’t stutter!)• We can reverse the course of stut-

tering, and it is vitally important thatthe child learns early on that there isno need to force or struggle (p. 27).


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Some History About ‘Specialists in Stuttering’

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Poem About MeSometimes I stutter

People may look at mestrange

But do they know me?

They hear my stutterBut I am much more than

that.Please listen to me!

Please don’t look awayBecause of my stutteringDon’t judge me by that….”Braxton, 10North Little Rock, AR

Stuttering Can Be Hard

Hello, I am Brian and I am10 years old. I don’t like stut-tering because I can’t have aconversation. I have beengoing to my speech teacherand doing better in talking.People always make fun ofme and start talking like me. Ijust ignore them or say “youcan’t stutter better than me”or “you try to stutter just likeme!” Sometimes I cry a littlewhen they ask “why do youdo that?” because I think theyare making fun of me. I just don’tlike it, I JUST DON’T LIKE IT! Ijust felt kind of bad because I stut-ter, but now it is kind of okay.Brian, 10Atlanta, GA

I Am UniqueHi, my name is Ethan and I am 9years old. I live in Wellington,Florida. I work on my speech toolswith my speech therapist to helpcontrol my stuttering. We work onbreathing, stretching, and having aquiet body. One day, someoneteased me and I just ignored him. It

worked! That was so cool! I don’tlet things like that bother me be-cause I know I am a unique kid :)!Ethan, 9Wellington, FL

Future Racehorse VetHi, my name is Kylee and I am 12years old. I have stuttered eversince I can remember. All through-out elementary I took speech thera-py, but it wasn’t helping so I gaveup. Sometimes it’s worse than oth-ers. I used to not stutter when I readaloud, but now I do. I hate it whenthe teachers call on me to answer a

question or read. It’s so em-barrassing. I know it soundssilly, but little kids make funof me! Some older ones dotoo. When I am talking to myfriends, I think of this reallyfunny thing to say and final-ly get it out when it has noth-ing to do with what we aretalking about by then. I’m smart and make A’s andB’s and want to go far in life.I want to be a racehorse vet-erinarian and hope I won’t bediscriminated against when Iget out in the real world andgo to college and get a job.Most of the time I stutter onvowel sounds, but some-times I stutter on consonants. My dad says he stutteredwhen he was little but out-grew it before he was myage. I have a 18 year oldcousin who stutters everynow and then. Dad alsosays I didn’t stutter at alluntil my mom had a wreckwhen I was little, and nowmy stuttering is worsearound bad times (thoughmy mom is fine now). When we had a tornado a

couple of months ago, I was soscared I had bad dreams and I stut-tered a lot more after that. But theweirdest thing is, I don’t stutterwhen I sing. Would you please mailme back with what informationyou know? Thank you so much.Kylee, 12Advance, MOEditor’s Note: Kylee was sentinformation about her concerns.

Looking for Good Speech

My name is Trevan and I am 9years old and in 3rd grade. I have

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

Dear SFA: Reader Response

Hi my name is Joshua and I like going tospeech. Speech makes me feel happy becausemy speech teacher said it’s “ok” to stutter.My friends do not know what stuttering is.Sometimes I teach my friends how to stutter.That makes me feel good. I hardly stutternow because my speech teacher showed mehow it’s ok to stutter. I am eight years old andspeech is fun! Joshua, 3rd grade, Greensboro, NC


been stuttering for a longtime. I just don’t like hav-ing a speech problem. Idon’t like stuttering be-cause it makes me seemdifferent and weird. I justfeel like I’m looking for aneedle in a hay stack.There is only one needle Ihave to find but I can’tfind it or stop it. The nee-dle is for good speech. Sometimes I am able tofind the needle by stickingto my goals. I have helpand support from myspeech teacher, friends,and family. My speechteacher and family helpme with strategies that Ihave learned.Trevon, 9Holyoke, MA

Ignore TeasingHi, my name is Waylonand I am 10. I stutter, butit does not bother me.When I am teased I justignore them. I am goinginto the 5th grade. I have beengoing to Bowling Green StateUniversity for speech. Now I ambetter at talking.Waylon, 10Ottawa, Ohio

Stuttering Makes Me Special

My name is Sophia, and I stutter.When I was little, my stutteringwas ongoing-ish. I stomped,clapped, and did almost everythingI could just to talk to my mom.

When I was maybe 4 yearsold, my mom found a speechtherapist named Marcy (herreal name is Marsha; I foundTHAT out years later!). Shehelped me with my speech alot. (She still does!) Now, weare great friends! I think thatstuttering is just what makesme special.Sophia, 9Cedar Rapids, IA

A Letter from FranceBonjour, je m’appelle

Jacques at j’ai 9 ans.Je voudrais vous parler de

ce livre qui parle du bé-gaiement : « Des fois je bégaie». (Sometimes I Just Stutter)Alors, moi je bégaie tous

les jours et j’ arrive pas à com-


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Hi, my name is Grace’lyn. When peoplemake fun of me I just ignore them. When Iam with my friends they back me up and sayit is not OK to make fun of me. Or sometimesI draw a picture of me happy. Even PresidentObama stutters sometimes. Grace’lyn, 10, Evansville, IN

My name is Justin and I’m 9 years old. I think I started stut-tering when I was 5 years old. I started going to speech in 2ndgrade. I learned about my speech machine. My speech machine isthe parts of my body I use to talk. Sometimes my machine breaksdown and I stutter. My brain controls my speech machine so I willknow what to do when I stutter. I learned techniques for fluency, such as using slow speech andtaking an easy breath when I get stuck. Now I don’t stutter thatmuch. I am proud of myself. I made a PowerPoint presentation about stuttering. I’m going toshow it to my class. I like all of the stories from other kids you print-ed in your newsletter. They make me feel better about my speech. Justin, 9, Clovis, CA

Benny, 6th gradeClifton, N.J.




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prendre pourquoi. Je vous envoiecette lettre pour savoir si vous, vouscomprenez pourquoi je bégaie.Je Bloque et ma gorge elle est tor-

due. Je ne sais pas pourquoi je parlevite des fois. Je parle vite quand jesuis en colère, quand je suis presséde dire un mot vite fait pour m’endébarrasser pour ne pas bégayer.En fait, ce sont mes copains qui

m’ont dit, pour m’aider, de parlervite et que ça irait mieux. J’ai es-sayé cette idée mais elle n’a pasmarché et maintenant, parfois,j’arrive plus à parler lentement.

Je bégaie souvent quand je suisnerveux, un petit peu. Quandquelqu’un ne comprend pas ceque je lui dis parce que je parlevite, je ralentis pour qu’il com-prenne et s’il ne comprend pas jelui dis : « si je bug tant pis » jecontinue à dire lentement et si je« bug » encore, je lui dis : « laissetomber » et s’il ne veut pas laiss-er tomber, je lui dis : « j’ai oubliéma phrase ».Voilà ce qui me gène le plus

dans mon bégaiement.A bientôt.Jacques

of comedy shows for the BBCradio in 1978 that were knownas “The Atkinson People.”Atkinson came onto the televi-sion radar screen in 1979 withthe famous show Not the NineO’Clock News. Later, he wentoff to do The Secret Policeman’sBall before meeting up withRichard Curtis again for the im-mensely successful Blackadder,which the pair co-wrote. TimMcInnerny and Tony Robinsonstarred in the show and werelater joined by Stephen Fry,Hugh Laurie and MirandaRichardson. Atkinson’s character of Mr.

Bean existed for 10 years beforethe character was even given aname. The Mr. Bean character cat-apulted Atkinson into internation-al stardom as the show was seenall over the world. It was the high-est-rated comedy on British TV inthe 1990s; it was sold to more than245 countries and 50 airlines.Later, there were movies such asBean: The Ultimate DisasterMovie (1997) and Mr. Bean’sHoliday (2007). The actor has leftopen the door to the possibility ofreprising the Mr. Bean character inthe future.

The Stuttering Foundation ofAmerica is a tax-exempt orga-

nization under section 501(c)(3) ofthe Internal Revenue Code and isclassified as a private operatingfoundation as defined in section4942(j)(3). Charitable contribu-tions and bequests to theFoundation are tax-deductible,

subject to limitations under the Code.

Mr. Bean Continued from page 11

Letters Continued from page 15

Gifts made Jan. 1through Dec. 1, 2011

Gifts in Honor of:

Ashley Jackson BrownBrendan MahoneyMichael LoCascioScott JonesRachel and Kai ChunYeshua El MessiahEthan PasseserDr. Phil SchneiderSusan CochraneSLP Students and Teens Who Stutter

Ryan WischDr. Charleen BloomBlaise LevaiDiane BrowerPreston David StottAllene HigginsPeter ReitzesLinda LeeJames L. BellAman KumarBoston Air Flowers Group

Dr. Martin F. SchwartzMontrose Beauchamp and Becky Hall

Mara CalvelloVirginia Parker’s Stuttering Clients

Gloria LogsdonBraydon McKindleyNicholas BrendonStormie BarfieldJane FraserLinda Street-ElyDr. Jeanna RileyDr. Lisa ScottKrishna FoundationDr. Jason DavidowMax LehmanMarilee FineBailee George

Rolando PradoStudents at Dugan Elementary School

Grandchildren of Mr. andMrs. Robert Young

Marilyn MongerWilliam RamseyKristin ChmelaLinda WheelerGeorge HelliesenBen EllisDr. C. Woodruff Starkweather

Kim KriegerJeremyBrett GibbsRyan OrlowskiMac WilsonJohn RandolphWill Courtney, Jr.Judith KusterDr. J. Scott YarussCharles BerglundWilliam RushMary Louise TidwellLynn and Brian ThomasDr. Swathi ReddyDr. Daniela PeroutkaDr. Martin NeftDr. Margaret PlantaDr. David VerhaagNancy BarcalDr. Sharon KatuinDr. Maninder PowarDr. Gurinder KanwarWill Blodgett

Gifts in Memory of:

Max A. and Tillie C. Newman

Glen BradleyJimmie GrayL.J. DavidsonDr. Charles Van RiperJohn Larkin

Dr. Richard CurleeDr. William H. PerkinsDr. Albert MurphyAnne EdwardsDan StahlLouise Cook HolmesHugo GregoryEdward DoughertyDanny StahlDr. James V. FrickFather and Grandfather of Armando Mateo

Lillian and Jacob SteinJan DuncanMargaret HorowitzMalcolm FraserPearl GoldnerMartin YoungDorothea HutchinsonEiner BobergMona HollandMartha Pappas MillsDennis BarberDr. Dean WilliamsMike CarlbergAntoinette GathmanDr. Courtney StromstaMarty PrinceShirley SteinmetzDr. Antero TiilikkaJames Michael CampbellVivian SheehanMichael and Mary Cristiano

Katherine Jean Shahan Gara

Dr. Oliver BloodsteinJohn ClancyDr. Joseph SheehanDr. Joan Good EricksonMargaret Mary DalyWilliam Lloyd RonneyChristopher NiemiecDr. Elliot WitkindRupert P. MyersClayton Saunders

The new DVDDavid Seidler: WeHave a Voice isnow available. Itis a true inspira-tion to young peo-ple who stutter.

New DVD Available



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By Bret Hart, James' uncle

Almost everyone has a day thatthey will never forget. It’s a daythat can be one of the happiestdays or one of the saddest days ina person’s life. October 23, 2011,was one of those days I willnever forget. That was the daymy nephew James Campbelltragically took his own life.James was only 17 years old. Foryears to come people will ask“why?” “Why did James end hislife at such a young age”? I, too,have been asking this question.As the grief, anger, sadness anddisbelief continually swirl in mymind, I keep coming back to thespeech disorder that James hadsuffered through for years. Jameswas a stutterer.James was a teenager who had

a great personality and positiveoutlook. But in his mind, all thepositive features in the worldcould not trump the negative that

he could not shed. His stuttering.Oftentimes, James was a reclusebecause of his speech disorder.He would communicate with hisfriends through Facebook. Whythrough Facebook? Because he

didn’t have totalk. A com-puter couldspeak for him.I m a g i n e

being ateenager whostutters andhas to give apresentationin front of the

class? This had to be a frighteningfeeling for James. Not only will theentire class be watching, but tryingto speak fluently was more than achallenge … it was impossible.As James got older, the stut-

tering became more and more ofa handicap for him. He saw hisdisability as a hindrance to his

future. On Sunday, October 23,James felt he could no longer goon. He made the decision that hewanted to be with his father whohad passed away 13 years earlierin a tragic accident. James reallydidn’t know his father that well,as he was only 4 at the time, butthe absence of his father pro-foundly affected him.As we say good-bye to James

and try to piece together ourown lives, I would hope that wecan prevent another loss of life.There is no need to have anoth-er teen take his own life withthe explanation that they feelthe burden of stuttering has be-come unbearable. Hopefully, the end of James’ life

can be the start of someone else’s. In honor of James Michael

Campbell, we look forward to help-ing other teens who stutter so theycan live a productive and fulfillinglife, embracing all that life can offer.

James Campbell

James Campbell Stuttering Memorial

Gifts In Memory of James Michael Campbell Through Dec. 15, 2011

Dale FosterSarah EdwardsLisa Jackson Jennifer Keating Rochelle Laznow Patrick CondronMike and Emily Belanger Kyle and Nikki BaconDavid HarbourHeather PattonShirley HottotJeff LodesAndrew LauschAnn-Marie ClarkApril LambertElizabeth WhiteDiane ShaferTherese CookPatrice Creeger Denise Cushaney

Keree KirklandKathy MarcheselliWendy and Ukia NittaKammi SharpeBeth Ann ThomasJames AzzanoKatherine Dingess Todd HinckleyDan KlemackSheryl McCurninKevin PearsonTracy SmithJoe VavrikElizabeth Cahill Ken and Robyn Grimsley Bret Hart Elizabeth Messner Shirleen O’ConnorPaula Widerlite Dr. Dennis DraynaGail EmeryMeredith BraselmanAndrew LaVanway

Alison WardLauren WalkerLauren FischerMark MeadowsMorgan MacDonald Tisha HilliardAnthony MatthewsChip Manning Peter McIntyre Vince MenzioneSkip CourtneyBryan Scott HerrAlfred and Carole Poindexter Tracy Smith and son, Tyler Thomas BabbJoy Sperry Emery Stephen and Shirley Menish Edward and Laura Pavon David Berman, M.D.Bridget Hart-Shea Martin ThallEdward S. Cohen John and Eileen Cusick


P.O. Box 11749 • Memphis, TN 38111-0749

STUTTERINGFOUNDATION

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Volume 20, Issue 1Renee Shepherd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EditorScot Squires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DesignerSpecial thanks to Joan Warner, Patty Reed,Susie Hall, Pat Hamm, Lisa Hinton, TerriJones, and Carol Ecke.This newsletter is published quarterly. Pleasee-mail address changes and story ideas [email protected].

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

facebook.com/stutteringhelp

twitter.com/stutteringfdn

youtube.com/stutteringfdn

Main Character StuttersThe South Street Gang vs. the

Coalcracker Cyclops,by Richard Benyo, isan exciting tale thatbrings the powers ofgood and evil to thestreets of small-townAmerica. It features amain character whostutters. Available at Amazon.com

SFA Team Wishes You A Happy New Year!

Lisa S., Roberta, Joan, Susie, Pat,Jane, Terri, and Lisa H. Not pictured:Patty, Carol, Bob, Greg, Susannah,Renee, Scot, John and Joe.

And the Winners Are...Congratulations to Chris Harwood

and Valero Morris! They both woncopies of the DVDThe Man Behind theKing’s Speech fortheir essays on howKing George VI in-fluenced them.Another contest

asked, “What, ifanything, are you doing differentlysince seeing The King’s Speech?”The winners were Chad D., LeahFetzer and Barry Shapiro. Special thanks to Revolver

Entertainment for donatingcopies of the DVDs.

Newsbriefs4The Stuttering Foundation Five DayWorkshop, Using Cognitive Approacheswith People Who Stutter, will be held inBoston, Massachusetts, June 25-29, 2012.

With WillieBotterill, MSc(Psych. Couns.),

Reg UKCP (PCT), Cert MRCSLT andElaine Kelman, MSc, Cert CT, Cert MRC-SLT of the Michael Palin Centre forStammering Children in London.Conference coordinator is Diane Parris,M.S., of Boston University. For more infor-mation, call 800-992-9392 or visitwww.stutteringhelp.org and click on“speech-language pathologists.” TheStuttering Foundation pays all tuition costsas well as room and board for this excep-tional in-depth workshop.4The Stuttering Foundation Five Day Mid-Atlantic Workshop, Treating Children andAdolescents Who Stutter, at Children’sHospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia,P e n n s y l v a n i a ,July 9-13, 2012.With JosephDonaher, M.A., Children’s Hospital ofPhiladelphia; Lisa A. Scott, Ph.D., TheFlorida State University; and Vivian Sisskin,M.S. University of Maryland, College Park.For more information, call 800-992-9392 orvisit www.stutteringhelp.org and click on“Speech-language pathologists.” TheStuttering Foundation pays all tuition costsas well as room and board for this exception-al in-depth workshop.

4International FluencyAssociation World Congress,Vinci International ConventionCentre, Tours, France, July 2-7,2012. For more information, visit

www.worldcongressfluencydisorders.com/index.html.

4Friends Convention in Denver,Colorado, July 19-21, 2012. For moreinformation, visitwww.friendswhostutter.org.

4NSA Convention in St.Petersburg, Florida. July 4-8,2012. For more information,visit www.nsastutter.org

4Stutter Across America is planned for2012. Marshall David Rice, Ph.D., will cyclecoast-to-coast across America in 2012 toraise money for research and treatment forpeople who stut-ter. His goal is toraise awarenessof the challengesthat people who stutter face every day andpromote the message that stutterers can doanything they want. Donations will help sup-port the important work of The StutteringFoundation and The Speech & StutteringInstitute in Canada. To donate or for more in-formation on the ride, please visit www.stut-teracrossamerica.com.4Our Website, www.StutteringHelp.org, iscontinuously being updated with new re-sources. Be sure to bookmark it!


Documents

2012 Winter Newsletter