American Institute for Stuttering

At AIS, we often talk about the challenges people who stutter face in the workplace and explore ways to successfully navigate these challenges. George Daquila, a strong supporter of self-advocacy in the workplace, talk with us about his successes in navigating stuttering and workplace challenges. George shared with us his story and the self-advocacy skills he found to be most useful at work and in job interviews. Here are four tips from George on how to self-advocate in the workplace:

Tip #1: Be willing to disclose your stuttering
Ask yourself: "Am I willing to disclose that I stutter"? If the answer is yes, go for it! Disclosure can help your listener understand why you talk the way you do, and know that you can handle it. If the answer is no, that's ok too. Consider talking to a friend or family member first to increase your tolerance for discussing stuttering.

Tip #2: Start small
Start disclosing your stuttering with the people that you are most comfortable with. Reach further from there. Eventually, you will build your support network at work and create a 'stutter-friendly' zone.

Tip #3: Continue to expand your comfort zone
Be it with voluntary stuttering, more disclosing, or creating mock interviews for people who stutter in your workplace (like George does), continuously challenging yourself and pushing your comfort zone will keep you in good 'stuttering shape'. As George says: "the work is never done", so find ways that you can challenge yourself that are safe, fun, and effective.

Tip #4: Turn stuttering into an asset
Stuttering really puts you through the wringer and has the potential to break you or make you stronger. Mental strength and resilience are assets in any work environment, and framing it that way reminds you, and your potential employer, that you bring a set of strengths to the table that are indispensable.

Read the full blog by visiting the link: www.stutteringtreatment.org/blog/self-advocacy-in-the-workplace

While therapy for children and adults is very different, our philosophy toward treatment is the same: success means being able to say what you want to say without holding back for fear of stuttering.

It seems intuitive that therapy should focus on eliminating stuttering and building speech fluency. Unfortunately, we now know that treatments that approach stuttering in this way often backfire, causing greater underlying physical struggle, shame, and anxiety.

At AIS, you will learn to change not only the physical aspects of your stuttering but also the underlying negative thoughts and feelings that are at the core of your difficulty.

Learn more about us by clicking the link in our bio. 🔗⬆️

Yes, you can be a doctor who stutters! 👨🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️🩺
We know people who stutter in all fields of medicine. To meet some, attend our panel this Wednesday, August 21 at 7 pm EST.

Register for this event: www.stutteringtreatment.org/events/on-doctoring-and-stuttering-navigating-speech-disfluency-in-healthcare

If you stutter and are somewhere on the road to becoming a doctor - from early dreams to early career - this workshop is for you! Join three successful doctors who stutter as they share their stories of stuttering in healthcare. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and learn from the outstanding professionals who will be joining us.

Moderator Clarence Ojo, MD, is a vascular surgeon at CentraCare St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He completed a vascular surgery fellowship at the University of Minnesota, and his residency at the Brookdale Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Ojo has served on the AIS board of directors since 2023.

Steven Kitchen, MD, MS, CPE, FACOG completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Baltimore, MD, and practiced OB/GYN in Albany, Georgia for over 25 years, delivering over 2500 babies. Among numerous leadership positions, he was named Chief Medical Officer of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in 2014. After retiring from Phoebe Putney in 2021, he joined the faculty of PCOM South Georgia where he teaches medical students part-time. He has three daughters and two grandsons and enjoys tennis and traveling with his wife, Kay.

Frantz Aubry MD, MS is a board-certified psychiatrist at the Miami VA Hospital. He completed a fellowship in addiction psychiatry at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals and served as chief resident at the Brookdale Hospital Medical Center.

Jess Zonana, MD earned her MD from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed her residency in psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medicine. She has served as Chief of Adult Ambulatory Services at the Payne Whitney Clinic at Weill Cornell -NYPH and as founding faculty Medical Director of the student-run Weill Cornell Medicine Wellness Qlinic. In 2021, she joined Silver Hill Hospital as Director of Outpatient Services and has continued as a voluntary faculty member at Weill Cornell Medicine.

💬 Question: Doesn’t everybody stutter sometimes?
📝 Answer: Unlike those with normal disfluency, people who stutter experience a marked feeling of loss of control and uniquely anticipate and try to avoid moments of stuttered speech. Those who stutter often experience negative emotions and thoughts related to their difficulty. In addition, they may limit their participation in certain activities and make important life decisions based on their speech fluency.

📣 3 Basic Rules of Self-Advertising Your Stuttering 📰

1. Call it "Stuttering" 🌟
Many people, when referring to their stuttering, will call it a speech problem, a speech impediment, a stammer, etc. Help the listener out by letting them know the name of the problem. They may not understand stuttering fully, but at least you've named it. This helps to avoid confusion about the best way for your listener to refer to it.

2. Don't Apologize! 🚫
Sometimes it's a knee-jerk apology, and it can be tough to avoid. Remember though, you didn't choose to stutter. It's not your fault. You don't owe anyone an apology. Tell them you stutter, maybe tell them what that means, and do so as assertively as you can.

3. Keep it Simple! 🙂
You want the listener to know you stutter, and you want to experience the benefits of knowing they know... but it's usually not necessary to go beyond the essential information.

Visit the link to read more: www.stutteringtreatment.org/blog/3-basic-rules-of-self-advertising-your-stuttering

🌟 JOIN OUR ONLINE EVENTS TOMORROW! 🌟

Tuesday Night Group - 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. EST
This free therapy offering is open to all past and present AIS clients who wish to reinforce the principles and strategies for communicating freely, stuttering confidently, and reducing avoidance.

Teen Virtual Group - 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. EST
Our virtual group for teens is a relaxed and fun opportunity for teens to talk with others who stutter, with both a social component and a therapy component. Thanks to our generous donors, this event is free for past and present AIS clients ages 13-18.
To register, please email your AIS therapist or [email protected].

It is an exciting time to be a speech-language pathologist working with clients who stutter! With rapid developments in research, therapy approaches, and community engagement centering on the individual who stutters, the options for therapy have greatly expanded over the years. However, knowing how to navigate clinical decision-making, counseling individuals and families in their unique process of change, and having the "tough" conversations can be a difficult task.

AIS is excited to be offering our first continuing education course, entitled "Holistic Stuttering Therapy: Clinical Decision Making and Applications." Using simulated case studies, group discussion, and a review of current evidence-based practices, clinicians can expect to gain confidence in their abilities to plan and implement maximally effective, "stuttering-affirming" therapy for people who stutter across the lifespan.

Covered topics will include parent-child interaction strategies, avoidance reduction techniques, principles of effective counseling in clinical conversations, and assignment development with clients and families. Day one will focus on preschoolers and school-age children, with day two focusing on adolescents and adults. This course is offered for 1.1 ASHA CEUs at the Intermediate level.

The training will be held in person in NYC's Hudson Yards neighborhood. For more information and registration, check out the Event listing on our website here: https://www.stutteringtreatment.org/events/holistic-stuttering-therapy-clinical-decision-making-and-applications

AIS Speaker Series: Stuttering and the Brain: Current Understanding of Causes and Consequences
Wednesday ◦ August 7, 2024 ◦ Online ◦ Free for AIS Clients

For the August edition of our Speaker Series, AIS welcomes Andrew Meier, a postdoctoral fellow in speech neuroscience at Boston University. Andrew uses intracranial recordings to investigate the neural bases of speech production and dysfluency.

For the AIS event, he will share his research, which aims to understand the brain systems that enable us to speak fluently and how the breakdown of these systems results in stuttering.

Meier was originally inspired to pursue research in order to understand his own stutter, which he shares with family members, and through an internship at the University of Illinois Stuttering Research Program.

Register for this event by visiting the link: https://www.tfaforms.com/4915201

📅 AIS AUGUST EVENTS 📅
Visit the link to register: www.stutteringtreatment.org/events

Stuttering and the Brain: Current Understanding of Causes and Consequences
August 7, 2024 | ONLINE
For the August edition of our Speaker Series, AIS welcomes Andrew Meier, a postdoctoral fellow in speech neuroscience at Boston University. Andrew uses intracranial recordings to investigate the neural bases of speech production and dysfluency.
For the AIS event, he will share his research, which aims to understand the brain systems that enable us to speak fluently and how the breakdown of these systems results in stuttering.

Tuesday Night Group
August 13, 2024 | ONLINE
This free therapy offering is open to all past and present AIS clients who wish to reinforce the principles and strategies for communicating freely, stuttering confidently, and reducing avoidance.

Teen Virtual Group
August 13, 2024 | ONLINE
Our virtual group for teens is a relaxed and fun opportunity for teens to talk with others who stutter, with both a social component and a therapy component. Thanks to our generous donors, this event is free for past and present AIS clients ages 13-18.
To register, please email your AIS therapist or [email protected].

On Doctoring and Stuttering: Navigating Speech Disfluency in Healthcare
August 21, 2024 | ONLINE
If you stutter and are somewhere on the road to becoming a doctor - from early dreams to early career - this workshop is for you! Join three successful doctors who stutter as they share their stories of stuttering in healthcare. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and learn from the outstanding professionals who will be joining us.

Does online stuttering therapy work? 👩🏻‍💻
For years our clients have told us that their teletherapy sessions are as effective and helpful as their in-person sessions. Recent clinical research has validated this observation.

Some advantages of teletherapy include:

- Ability to attend therapy when transportation is limited
- Ability to engage family members in sessions who might not otherwise be able to attend
- Incorporating items in the home environment into therapy sessions
- Easier scheduling
- The comfort of not traveling and being in your own home

Check out www.stutteringtreatment.org/locations/online-stuttering-therapy for more details.

🌟 AIS Client Feedback 🌟

"I could barely communicate when I started their class, and now I have all the tools I need to speak. What a world of a difference these people made in my life, I highly highly highly recommend this program and could not imagine my life without them. Thank you all so much

Please welcome our new board member, Purvi Tailor! She is a Vice President of Human Resources for Ferring US, and has been a leader in HR and the global business community for over 25 years. We are thrilled that she has joined our board, and as AIS continues to grow, Purvi will be a guiding force. Welcome to the AIS family, Purvi!

One of the most fun things we do with our child clients is playing around with different types of talking. Bumpy talking! Squeaky talking! Low talking! Grumpy talking! Speech play always leads to giggles, but what does it do for our clients? When we look at the rationale for speech play, we see that a seemingly simple activity has complex effects.

Joy and play: For some children who stutter, speech has become stressful. Too much physical and emotional energy are spent trying to talk “just right” and eliminate mistakes. Playing with different ways of speaking can put the fun back into talking, and demonstrate that there are lots of “right” ways to speak.

Control of the speech system: To change their style, a child has to alter many aspects of speech: pitch, rate, volume, and positioning of the articulators. In doing this, they learn that they have choices in how they talk.

Desensitization to stuttering: We often include “bumpy talking” (repetitions), “stretchy talking” (prolongations), and “stuck talking” (blocks) on our list of choices. This gives the child a chance to see stuttering as one of many ways people talk. It also provides the opportunity to introduce helpful messages like, “Sometimes people get stuck when they talk, and that’s okay.”

Read the full blog here: www.stutteringtreatment.org/blog/therapy-thursday-speech-play

AIS

Welcome to our new board member Eric Donelan, who says, "'I am a stutterer' is a declaration that has taken almost 40 years to be comfortable saying. Today, I am truly honored to have been selected to the Board of Directors for the American Institute for Stuttering." Read the rest of his moving statement on his LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eric-donelan-security-safety-facilities_american-institute-for-stuttering-speak-activity-7211772003203080193-K01F?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

All smiles at the annual convention in Denver! We are thrilled to collaborate with this life-changing organization and witness the incredible support, encouragement, and community that exists here!

✨ Empowering children who stutter to say what they want to say with confidence ✨
If your child stutters, you probably have many questions about speech therapy. We provide individualized, holistic therapy, as well as support and education for the entire family.
Visit www.stutteringtreatment.org/who-we-help/speech-therapy-for-kids to learn more about Stuttering Therapy for Kids.

To change stuttering, you have to understand it. And to change YOUR stuttering, you have to understand what happens when YOU stutter. So how can we help kids analyze their own stuttering pattern in a way that’s fun and engaging?

One way is a game we call Teach Me Your Stutter. In this game, the therapist takes on the role of the learner, and the client is the teacher! You might start by saying something like, “I’ve learned a lot about stuttering, but only one person is the expert in how YOU stutter.” The client then teaches the therapist how to stutter just like them. As the client corrects the therapist’s errors, both learn important details about the client’s stuttering pattern. And the game has the added benefit of reframing stuttering as something to be curious about, rather than something to dread or avoid.

Visit the link to read the full blog: https://www.stutteringtreatment.org/blog/therapy-thursday-teach-me-your-stutter

CAUSES OF STUTTERING

Stuttering (also known as stammering) is caused by the interaction of several factors including genetics, language development, and the environment.

Studies show that areas of the brain controlling speech and language may work differently in people who stutter. For example, there is more right-hemisphere activity and less left-hemisphere activity in those who stutter. Research has also shown differences in how stutterers process auditory information and perform certain sensory-motor tasks.

Recent studies have identified several genes that may be involved in predisposing an individual to stutter. We know it does run in families and that other factors influence how it presents and develops.

The benefits of joining AIS Group Therapy include:

✔️ Being provided a safe space to share thoughts and feelings, explore stuttering, and practice new ways of speaking
✔️ The chance to connect with other people who stutter from all walks of life
✔️ An opportunity to work with others to face speaking-related fears
✔️ Learning and incorporating strategies that have helped other people who stutter

Visit our Group Therapy & Support Groups page to learn more.
www.stutteringtreatment.org/speech-therapy/support-groups

AIS Presents: What We Currently Know about Self-Disclosure
Wednesday, July 10, 2024 | 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. EST
Register for this free online event at the link in our bio or at: www.stutteringtreatment.org/events/what-we-currently-know-about-self-disclosure

Whether you call it “self-disclosure” or you call it “advertising,” the act of informing your listener that you’re someone who stutters is a major and commonly accepted staple of contemporary speech therapy. But where does the idea come from? And how did it become such an oft-recommended best practice?

In this workshop, Los Angeles clinic director Gregory Scott will present a brief overview of the research on self-disclosure, from the foundational “acknowledgment” studies of the early 90s to forthcoming publications on how disclosures play out in the workplace. Participants will come away with a cohesive timeline of how considerations around advertising have evolved and been refined—but also with evidence that self-disclosure remains a highly nuanced and fraught strategy. Those who attend will be encouraged to compare the research with their own lived experience and to share how self-disclosure has or hasn’t worked for them.

Happy 4th of July from the American Institute for Stuttering! 🇺🇸🎆 As we honor this special day, we also recognize the importance of every individual's freedom to speak and express themselves without fear or hesitation. Let's continue to support and empower those who stutter, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued. Wishing you a joyful and safe Independence Day! 🌟🎉

AIS at NSA!

Getting our clients on the phone is a staple of speech therapy at AIS.

Why phone calls? The phone is an ideal laboratory for testing out effective communication, as it’s a medium where miscommunication lurks at every turn. Bad connections, lack of visual cues, time pressure—to get the message across, the speaker has to navigate a lot. And many of these obstacles are specific fears for the person who stutters. But, as fraught with peril as a phone call might seem, it can also be very low-stakes, especially if you start with “throw-away” conversations, like calls to shops to ask what time they close. You quite literally will never see the person on the other end!

SLPs often think of phone calls as a way to demonstrate the strategy of self-disclosure. (Giving a heads-up that you stutter clears up a lot of confusion, and can buy you more time and peace of mind in the call.) But the phone can also be a great place for all kinds of other avoidance-reduction experiments: things like resisting time pressure, extending the conversation, and providing your name and personal info.

✨ AIS JULY EVENTS ✨
Visit the link to register: www.stutteringtreatment.org/events

Teen Virtual Group
July 9, 2024 | ONLINE
Our virtual group for teens is a relaxed and fun opportunity for teens to talk with others who stutter, with both a social component and a therapy component. Thanks to our generous donors, this event is free for past and present AIS clients ages 13-18.
To register, please email your AIS therapist or [email protected].

Tuesday Night Group
July 9, 2024 | ONLINE
This free therapy offering is open to all past and present AIS clients who wish to reinforce the principles and strategies for communicating freely, stuttering confidently, and reducing avoidance.

What We Currently Know about Self-Disclosure
July 9, 2024 | ONLINE
This workshop will examine the latest research on stuttering self-disclosure, and encourage participants to compare the research with their own lived experience. Free and open to the public.