Anew 30-page book writtenand illustrated by 8 year-old Jamie

describes thetribulations thatmany childrenwho stutter en-counter both inthe classroom andon the play-ground.Jamie was en-couraged to writethe book by herspeech-languagepathologist, JulieGasway, M.A.,CCC-SLP.“The initial goalof writing thestory was to helpJamie develop apositive feelingabout stutteringand an awarenessthat all kids have problems theyhave to deal with,” said Gasway.

“The plot of Trouble at Recesswas formed when Jamie started

therapy with me.We read booksabout stuttering,watched otherkids who stutteron the DVDStuttering: ForKids, By Kids, andlearned moreabout how othersdealwith teasing,”added Gasway.Molly, the main

character whostutters, learnswhat to do whenshe is teased. Shealso learns whatmakes a goodfriend and how toteach classmatesabout stuttering.Jamie shares,

“I’m very excited that my bookmight help other children who

By Lisa Scott, Ph.D.The Florida State UniversityProfessionals are becoming in-

creasingly in-terested in un-d e r s t a n d i n ghow child tem-perament influ-ences variouscommunicationdisorders. Oneof the world’sleading re-searchers ontemperament,Jerome Kagan,Ph.D., a DanielandAmy StarchProfessor ofPsychology atH a r v a r dUniversity, de-livered a fasci-nating two-hour seminar entitled,The Nature of HumanTemperament at the most recentAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention.Dr. Kagan began his presentationby first defining the differencebetween temperament, personali-ty, and mood. Temperament is thechild’s biological contribution tohis own emotional, cognitive, and

Continued on page 13

Inside...�Neural risk for stuttering . . 3�Pakistan research continues . 3�Media awards . . . . . . . . . . . 5�Letters from young readers. 6�International workshop . . . . 9�Dave Taylor scores . . . . . . 11

�

Lisa Scott, Ph.D.

www.stutteringhelp.org • 1-800-992-9392 • www.tartamudez.org

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

Thanks to a generous grant fromthe Annenberg Foundation, theStuttering Foundation mailed TheChild Who Stutters: To thePediatrician to 15,656 newly Board-certified pediatri-cians across theUnited States.Because concerned parents

first reach out to their child’sdoctor for answers about speech,giving pediatricians the toolsthey need to help these parents isof utmost importance.

Now in its 4th revised edition,The Child Who Stutters: To thePediatrician was written byEdward G. Conture, Ph. D., andBarry Guitar, Ph. D., with edito-

rial input fromleading authori-ties in the field

of stuttering and pediatrics.The book presents information

about the most recent research intoearly childhood stuttering by EhudYairi, Ph.D. and his colleagues at

Annenberg Foundation Grant Makes a Difference

CommunicationDisorders andTemperament

Jerome Kagan, Ph.D.

Continued on page 8

TTrroouubb llee aatt RReecceessss :: AA SSuurree HH iitt

Continued on page 16

1-800-992-93922 www.stutteringhelp.orgYears

of Service60

By Per Alm, Ph.D.Lund University, Sweden, and The Stuttering InformationCenter of DenmarkSeveral studies of heredity and

genetics have shown that genesplay an important role in the causalbackground of stuttering. In addi-tion, these studies have shown thatnon-genetic factors also play a sig-nificant role. Thenature of thesenon-genetic fac-tors has been ob-scure. However,there is mountingevidence indicat-ing that someearly neurologi-cal incidents maycontribute to therisk for develop-ment of stuttering. Higher frequency of early inci-

dents in cases without stutteringrelativesOne way to find indications

about non-genetic factors is tocompare groups of stutteringpersons with and without stutter-ing relatives. An early study ofthis type was performed byRobert West and coworkers(1939), comparing two groups ofabout 100 stuttering personseach, with and without stutteringrelatives. The result indicatedthat several background factorswere more common in the groupwithout stuttering relatives, forexample infectious disease, dis-eases of the nervous system, in-juries, and surgery.The same tendency was found

in a more recent study, by Poulosand Webster (1991). Early inci-dents were reported in 21 of 57cases without family history ofstuttering, to be compared withonly 3 out of 112 cases with stut-tering relatives. Most of these fac-tors were physical, such as headinjury or birth complications, butalso three cases of intense fearwere included.

Prevalence of stuttering ingroups with early neurologicalincidents?Another way to investigate this

question is to study groups withsuspected neurological incidents.Böhme (1968) investigated a groupof 802 children and adults withsupposed cerebral lesions, relatedto early adverse events. Accordingto this report the prevalence of stut-tering was surprisingly high. In thegroup with normal intelligence24% were diagnosed as stuttering.Interestingly, the prevalence ofstuttering was lower in groups withimpaired intelligence, with only2.4% in the group regarded to havethe lowest intelligence. Some spe-cific risk factors mentioned wereconcussion, with stuttering in 6 outof 11 cases, and premature birthwith forceps delivery, with stutter-ing in 5 out of 5 cases.A possible relation between con-

cussion and stuttering was also re-ported by Segalowitz and Brown(1991). In a survey of high-schoolstudents 16% of 607 nonstutteringadolescents reported head injurywith unconsciousness, to be com-pared with 6 of the 9 stuttering stu-dents in this survey (i.e., 67%).The frequency of all reported headinjuries, also without unconscious-ness, was 30% in the nonstutteringgroup, in contrast to 8 out of 9 stut-tering students.New study in SwedenNew data regarding the role of

early neurological incidents comesfrom a study of stuttering adults, atLund University, Sweden, recentlypublished in Alm and Risberg(2007). In this study background fac-tors and heredity were analyzed inrelation to childhood traits of atten-tion deficits, using a questionnairefor retrospective diagnosis of child-hood ADHD or ADD (AttentionDeficit Hyperactivity Disorder orAttention Deficit Disorder, withouthyperactivity). The questionnairewas a subset of the Wender UtahRating Scale (WURS).

Per Alm, Ph.D.

On Nov. 26, 2007, Member ofParliament Emily Thornberry joinedCabinet Ministers Ed Balls MP andJohn Bercow MP — who is leadingan independent review into provi-sion for children and young peoplewith speech, language and commu-nications needs — to visit the world-leading Michael Palin Centre forStammering Children in London.During the visit they met children

and young people who have beenhelped by the centre and discussedwhat should be done to improve thesupport for young people who stam-mer. They were welcomed to thecentre by staff and writer, actor andbroadcaster Michael Palin himself,who gave his name to the centre,following his portrayal of a stam-mering character in A Fish CalledWanda. He based the role on hisown father who struggled withstammering all his life.“It is exciting that MP

Thornberry and Cabinet MinistersEd Balls and John Bercow tookthe time to visit the MPC and areleading the effort to improve ser-vices for those who stutter,” saidJane Fraser. “We must work tobuild this level of national interestin the United States as well.” �

Praise for MichaelPalin Centre for

Stammering Children

Neurological Incidents as BackgroundFactors in Developmental Stuttering

Kudos for Stuttering Foundation’sOverseas Partner

Christian, 7, with Cabinet Minister EdBalls MP and Michael Palin.

Cabinet Minister Ed Balls MP andMichael Palin pose for pictures with agroup outside the Michael Palin Centre. Continued on page 10

WINTER 2008 31-800-992-9392Years

of Service60Atypical CerebralLaterality: Neural

Risk for Stuttering?By Anne L. Foundas, MDTulane University HealthSciences CenterEditor’s note: The Stuttering

Foundation is pleased to supportDr. Foundas’ new research.Atypical cerebral laterality

was proposed as a potential cen-tral defect in developmental stut-tering in 1927 when Orton wrotethat stuttering may be the resultof incompletecerebral domi-nance. Supportfor this earlys p e cu l a t i o nmay be foundin the more re-cent theory ofcerebral lateral-ity (for review:Geschwind &Galaburda, 1985). According tothis theory, brain organizationcan be defined as “typical” or“atypical” (anomalous). Typical brain organization in-

cludes left hemispheric domi-nance for language and righthemispheric dominance for emo-tion and attention. Typical brainorganization occurs in about 70per cent of the population. Anomalous dominance exists

in about 30 per cent of the pop-ulation. Geschwind andGalaburda suggested that atypi-cal brain structure and functionwould be found in individualswith developmental stuttering.A variety of studies seem tohave supported this notion.We have proposed a unify-

ing anatomical model based ona motor control theory ofspeech production (Foundas etal, 2004). According to thismodel, two main neural cir-cuits work together to coordi-nate speech production. Thesecircuits or loops include an

Continued on page 12

By Dennis Drayna, Ph.D.NIDCDResearch on genetic factors in stut-

tering moved aheadin November withmeetings betweenresearchers at theNational Institute onDeafness and OtherCommunicat ionDisorders (NIDCD)and scientists at theCentre of Excellencein Molecular Biology (CEMB) at theUniversity of Punjab, in Lahore,Pakistan. The NIDCD team was led by

Dr. Dennis Drayna, who met withuniversity officials and Dr. S.Riazuddin, the director of theCEMB, tocoo rd i na t ethe identifi-cation andsampling ofP a k i s t a n ifamilies withm u l t i p l ecases of stut-tering. Traditional

marriage cus-toms in Pakistan result in frequentmarriages between cousins, givingthe Pakistani population a relativelyhigh degree of inbreeding. Such in-breeding can bring out genetic disor-

ders in families and make them moreaccessible for study by scientists.The NIDCD-/CEMB collaborationis further reinforced by the participa-tion of Mr. Hashim Raza, a Ph.D.student enrolled at the University ofPunjab, who is pursuing his thesis re-search on stuttering in Dr. Drayna’slaboratory at the NIDCD. “Our previous stuttering re-

search in Pakistan has made sig-nificant progress, and on this visitI had the chance to meet a numberof our research subjects, whichwas wonderful. We also identifiedseveral new families in whichthere are many cases of stuttering,providing important resources forour future work,” said Dr. Drayna. The overall goal of genetic research

on stutteringis to identifythe specificgenetic alter-ations thatgive rise tostuttering insome fami-lies, to betterunders tandthe funda-mental causes

of the disorder. A better understand-ing of the causes of stuttering maylead to improved diagnosis andtreatment, and provide new avenuesfor research in speech disorders. �

Research in Pakistan Moves Forward

Dennis Drayna, Ph.D.

Anne L. Foundas, M.D.

Mohammad Rafeeq, M. Hashim Raza, DennisDrayna, Mohammad Amjad, and Mohammad Yousaf.

By June CampbellPediatricians and related health

professionals from throughout theUnited States and international sitesincluding Israel, the Phillippines,Peru, Kuala Lumplur, and theBahamas were welcomed by andvisited with Diane Hill and JuneCampbell at the American Academyof Pediatrics Annual Conference inSan Francisco this October.Conversations ranged from grati-

tude for providing materials for theirpatients to specific questions regard-ing children who stutter to consulta-tion regarding children and adultfamily members to first hand ac-

counts of how patients or they them-selves have been aided by theFoundation’s wide-ranging services.Diane and June always thanked thephysicians for their interest and re-minded them they are frequently theFoundation’s first source of contactfor families. A record number ofphysicians requested to receiveSFA’s newsletter and information re-garding new products. �

Just What the Doc Ordered

� June Campbell worksat a busy booth.Diane Hill speaks witha pediatrician. �

4 www.stutteringhelp.org 1-800-992-9392Years

of Service60

This year’s American Speech-Language-Hearing Association con-vention in Boston drew 12,000 speechtherapists from all over the world.And SFA’s exhibit booth was in

“prime time.”The hottest new products were Cluttering

with Ken St. Louis and Florence Myersand Basic Clinical Skills with Ali Biggart,Jane Bligh, Willie Botterill, Frances Cook,Barry Guitar, Alison Nichols, Peter Ramig,Patricia Zebrowski and June Campbell.Working hard in the SFA booth were the

many volunteers who made the 2007 con-vention such a success: Steffi Schopick,Katerina Ntourou, Willie Botterill,Frances Cook, Joan Babin, PatriceCarothers, Robin Jones, Lisa Scott,Sheryl Gottwald, Joseph Donaher, BarryGuitar, Mark Shohet, Rita Thurman,Patricia Kraus-Lehrman, MaureenTardelli, Mark Pellowski, Courtney Byrd,Vivian Sisskin, Adriana DiGrande, JudyKuster, Kathleen Chase, Jennifer Watson,Charlie Healey, Nancy Ribbler, JulieGasway, Tricia Zebrowski, John Ellis,Diane Parris, Wendy Wingard-Gay,Anthony Buhr, Rick Arenas, JamesPanico, and Ryan Pollard. �

BeforeAfterAfter

Before

Crowds gather in Boston for 2007 ASHA convention

Bird's eye v iew fromentrance hall

PatriceCarothersanswersquestionsabout SFAmaterials

Booth is buzzing - all 30 feet!

Willie Botterill, Joe Donaher an-swer queries about the workbookhandoutsShery l Gottwald, Patrice Carothers, and

Wendy Wingard-Gay help field questions Carol Ecke, Jane Fraser, KaterinaNtouroubrace themselves for Opening Day rush

��1,000 lbs of books and DVDs

Joe Donaher, Fran Cook, and SherylGottwald greet SLPs

The Stuttering Foundationawarded the documentary, FindYourself a Dream: The Bob LoveStory, its 2007 first-place mediaaward. A special $1,000 cash prizewill be presented to Bob Love andAmerica’s Film Fund to celebratethe Foundation’s 60th year. The Foundation also selected

three runner-up winners for suc-cessfully enhancing public under-standing of this complex speechdisorder during the past year. First

runner-up winnerwill receive $250,second runner-upwinner will get$100, and third run-ner-up winner willbe awarded $50.The three runner-up

winners were in the newspaper cate-gory. First runner-up winner was

Karen Rivers, staffwriter, South BendTribune, SouthBend, Ind., forStopping the Stutter. Second runner-up

winner was AmyMatthew, features

reporter, The Pueblo Chieftain,Pueblo, Colo., for Speaking Up. Third runner-up was Eric-Paul

Johnson, The Press-Enterprise,Riverside, Calif., for Letting HisGame Do the Talking.The winners were announced

on Oct. 22, which is InternationalStuttering Awareness Day.

“Journalists in avariety of mediahave done an out-standing job of fo-cusing on the caus-es and treatment ofstuttering over thepast year,” saidJane Fraser, presi-

dent of the nonprofit foundation.“We were particularly pleased withthe entries during our 16th year ofhonoring journalists.”America’s Film Fund produced

the documentary, Find Yourself aDream: The Bob Love Story. Loveknows first-hand the experiencesof someone who stutters and over-came significant setbacks evenafter his glory years with theChicago Bulls.“Bob is more than a great bas-

ketball star and community lead-er,” said Fraser. “He is an out-standing role model for youngpeople everywhere.”One judge said, “It demonstrated

that even with all the adversity in hislife, Bob Love never gave up. Thistrue story is an inspiration for all.” Information about other famous

people who overcame stuttering canbe found at www.stutteringhelp.org. �

WINTER 2008 51-800-992-9392Years

of Service60Documentary wins media award

Bob Love speak s with SusanHamilton, his former therapist, dur-ing filming of his documentary .

Karen Riv ers

AmyMat thew

Eric-PaulJohnson

Kirk and John Tarver and theirMemphis-based Shelby RailroadServices, Inc., donated a record$4,000 on Oct. 4 following thecompany’s annual Tin-Cup GolfTournament. The company teamed with the

Stuttering Foundation for thesixth year to honor the late RuthMcGuiness Tarver. “My mother would be so

pleased to know of all the helpavailable today to make a differ-ence for both children and adultswho stutter” said John. JaneFraser remarked, “We are sograteful for the dedicated friend-ship the Tarvers and ShelbyRailroad have shown SFA.” �

On Track to Help KidsKirk and John Tarver during the annualTin-cup Golf Tournament.

The book Self-Therapy for theStutterer by Malcolm Fraser con-tinues to help people aroundthe world.The following e-mail came

from a research assistant inZimbabwe who, like conser-vationist Alan Rabinowitz,is using his voice to help theanimals who have no voice.“I’m beginning to realize

some positives from the stutteringself-therapy book,” he wrote. “I’ve

set myself some assignments, andthe fact that I’m conducting work-

shops for teachers providesthe perfect situations for theassignments.” “I’m currently holding

workshops every day about acheetah awareness campaignthat involves the use of aschoolbook that integratessubjects in the education cur-

ricula with cheetah conservationaspects.”

He continues, “My task is tohear their evaluation on the use ofthe book prior to giving them a re-fresher course. This task providesme with the perfect opportunity tostudy my stuttering and attend toit as per the self-therapy recom-mendations. I find out that I’meven gaining enough confidenceto continue talking and expressingwhat I want to say. I feel this bookcould soon help me move out ofmy cocoon.” �

A new celebrity willbe added to ourFamous People WhoStutter brochure andposter this spring.Who do y o uthink i t i s ? The first person to e-mail us atinfo@stutteringhelp.org with the correctanswer wins a t-shirt.Good luck! �

Aging Gracefully: Self-Therapy Book Turns 30 years old

self-therapyfor thestutterer

T E N T H E D I T I O N

self-therapyfor

thestutterer

MALC

OLM

FRASER

10thEdition

SFAPublication

No.0012

THE

STUTTERINGFOUNDATIONPUBLICATION NO. 0012

®

about the founderMalcolm Fraser knew from personal experience what

the person who stutters is up against, having struggledwith stuttering since early childhood.He first received therapy at age fifteen withFrederick Martin, M.D., Superintendent of SpeechCorrection for the New York City schools.

A few years later, he worked with J. Stanley Smith, L.L.D., a

philanthropist who stuttered who founded the Kingsley Clubs in

Philadelphia and New York. These support groups were named after

the English author, Charles Kingsley, who also stuttered. Fraser often

led the discussions at both clubs.In 1928, he joined his older brother Carlyle who founded the

NAPA-Genuine Parts Company that year in Atlanta, Georgia.

Malcolm Fraser became an important leader in the company and was

particularly outstanding in training others for leadership roles.In 1947, with a successful career under way, he founded the

Stuttering Foundation of America. In subsequent years, he added

generously to the endowment so that at the present time, endowment

income covers over fifty percent of the operating budget.In 1984, Malcolm Fraser receivedthe fourth annual National Councilon Communicative Disorders’Distinguished Service Award. TheNCCD, a council of 32 nationalorganizations, recognized theFoundation’s efforts in “adding tostutterers’, parents’, clinicians’, andthe public’s awareness and ability todeal constructively with stuttering.”In 1989, Hamilton College,Clinton, New York, presented Fraser with the honorary degree of

Doctor of Humane Letters for his outstanding work on behalf of those

who stutter.Malcolm Fraser was honored posthumously with the Charles Van

Riper Award, presented by actor James Earl Jones at the 16th annual

NCCD Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C.Established by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 1995, the Van Riper Awardwas given to Fraser for “his outstanding commit-ment to people who stutter.”

Dr. Kathleen Griffin (left) presents theNCCD 1984 Distinguished Service Award toMalcolm Fraser.

MALCOLM FRASER

Whoʼs theMysteryCeleb?

Like a penguinI believe that I am a penguin be-

neath my human skin. Penguinshave wings but not the ability to fly.I have a mouth but I do not have theluxury to talk without a care. Mywings were shortened throughoutmy youth. The de-evolution of myconfidence forced me to staygrounded and not fly with mybrothers, my sisters, my cousins.

The tuxedo-wearing birds re-place the flying with swim-ming, as I have replaced mystuttering with a new approachto talking. With this new modeof sustaining, I can now diveinto language and speech and sur-vive among the icy waters that Ifrequently belong to. This cansometimes be a cold place andonly if I explore the depths of theocean that surround it can I findmy place in the world, and onlywhen I accept this place can I beadmired for my swimming andnot my flying. Perhaps those whohave the sky and look down canadmire me gliding through thewaters. BenEdmond, Okla.Family provides supportDear SFA:Is stuttering really that bad?

My family members help me toslow down.NaseerFerguson, Mo.Future doctor works hardDear SFA:My name is Drake and I am 7

years old. I go to school inHolland, Mich. I work hard inschool because I want to go tocollege. I want to be a doctor that

is called a nephrologist. Thatmeans a doctor that takes care ofkidneys. I stutter when I talk, but Idon’t stutter when I read out loud.Drake, 7Holland, Mich.Teacher gives ideasDear SFA:I don’t like my speech because I

stop on words and say them two orthree times. My speech teacher toldme how I could improve on myspeech. I sometimes use my slow rateand sometimes I don’t. I forget to usemy full breath and slow rate. We usea tape recorder so we can go backover my speech. I know I’ll get better.Cole, 10Hurricane, W.V.“I know I am not alone”Dear SFA:My name is Jillian. I stutter.

People make fun of me, but I trynot to let it bother me.Sometimes it does bother methough, so I try and try to stopstuttering. But I can’t. I don’t think it is

right how people make fun ofother people who stutter becausewe all have problems. Somepeople might not be good atmath or reading. Some problemsmight be personal like family orself problems. Some may just

6 www.stutteringhelp.org 1-800-992-9392Years of Service60

We as a family would like to thankyou very much for the support yougave toward our son. Our son hasreally improved his talking afterreading the books you gave us. Wereally thank you for that. The boyturned 12 years old on Oct. 16, andhe is in the sixth grade.Sincerely,George and FamilyNairobi, Kenya

Picture perfectI feel happy because I learn about stuttering in

speech. Stuttering is like Damon Huard throwingthe football for the Chiefs and there is a wall thatblocks it. I don’t think my friends care that I stut-ter. I do all the things I like to do like race BMXbikes, play football, and skateboard. My teachersare all good and understand stuttering.Jeff, 8Lee’s Summit, Mo.Do you have artwork to share? E-mail it to us at info@stutteringhelp.org.

Continued on page 7

George (second from left) with his friendsin Nairobi, Kenya.

Jeff drew this picture of a football field.

Send letters to SFA, P.O. Box 11749, Memphis, TN 38111-0749 or email info@stutteringhelp.org.

Dear SFA: Reader Response

WINTER 2008 71-800-992-9392Years of Service60

speak a different language. But,some like me and many others,stutter, and I do not care whatothers think because I like my-self how I am. I am who I am.Every one has feelings and somepeople’s feelings get hurt easily.My feelings get hurt easily. So ifpeople make fun of me, I just tryto stay away from them andsometimes I need someone totalk to so I do not just go aroundbeing upset. Instead, I havesomeone to talk to and I amhappy about that. And with theStuttering Foundation, I can seewhat other people have to sayabout stuttering so I know that Iam not alone.JillianLantana, Fla.

Overcoming “sticky” speechDear SFA:I don’t like to be “sticky” be-

cause I don’t like to say wordsagain. Sticky speech is what I callstuttering. I used to be like this:“d-d-dog.” My speech teacher ishelping me learn what to do.Stuttering isn’t so bad.Katelyn, 9Hurricane, W.V.

I feel very good...Dear SFA: I don’t actually feel that angry

about my stuttering. I don’t knowwhy, but I feel very good aboutmy stuttering. I’ll try to stop stut-tering but if I don’t, it’s OK withme.Andres, 8Lynwood, Calif.

ʻI take my timeʼWhen I stutter, I feel sad be-

cause I want to feel like I don’twant to stutter. Then everyonelaughs at me, but when I take mytime, I feel a whole lot better.RyanE-mail �

Letters Continued from page 6

Our favorite unofficial ambas-sador, Leon “Jigger” Sirois (seeSummer 2007 SFA Newsletter)continues to tirelessly heightenawareness of the StutteringFoundation and the resources andhelp that are available.Jigger shared with us that,

“Stuttering has evolved into amajor gift for me. I wouldn’tchange it now even if I couldgo back.” However, until someyears ago, it was a difficult andsometimes distressing burden.He likened the struggle tospeak to trying to get “waterout of a faucet with the pumpturned off! I finally learned,the more ‘tricks’ you try inorder to work around the stut-tering, the more undue pressureyou put on yourself.”Jigger is particularly passion-

ate about getting SFA resourcesinto public libraries. CurrentlyJigger has made a donation to theFoundation to supply a completeset of SFA books and DVDs tothe Enoch Pratt Free Library inhonor of Theodore L. DeWeese,M.D., Professor and Chairman,Department of RadiationOncology and MolecularRadiation Sciences, JohnsHopkins Hospital, Baltimore,and his staff. (Editor’s Note: See this his-

toric library, which houses the

H.L. Mencken Collection amongmany other fascinating resources,at www.prattlibrary.org.)He also recently donated up-

dated resources to the SummersCounty Public Library inHinton, West Virginia, and theSt. Joseph County PublicLibrary in South Bend, Indiana.In addition, Jigger is enthusi-

astic about talking to people inevery-day life, wherever hemeets them. And Jigger, the mostdown-to-earth and personableguy you’d ever want to meet,doesn’t know any strangers. In asort of “pay it forward” way, hewill give resources to his swim-ming coach, the clerk at the elec-trical supply store, fellowToastmasters, or his physician.And they, in turn, tell others.Jigger won’t take one ounce

of credit for being an ambas-sador. He says, “Stuttering is acomplex affliction that makespeople uncomfortable some-times.” Perhaps that insight intoothers, sort of a heightenedsense of others’ needs, is whatdrives him, now that he can, tokeep talking and helping.“Knowledge is the antithesis ofignorance,” Jigger said. Keeptalking, friend! �

Jigger Continues to Spread the Word

IMS photo. Used with permission.

8 www.stutteringhelp.org 1-800-992-9392Years

of Service60

With the help of our friend EvaWoolwine as group leader, theStuttering Foundation launched aMySpace in October. The purpose is to offer a place for

teens and young adults who stutterto go to share,get advice, ex-change informa-tion, and findsupport. Evaalso shares herhope that thisvenue will offer“…a great placefor non-stutter-ers to learnabout this mis-u n d e r s t o o dchallenge.” Eva has been a

special friend ofthe Foundationsince the sum-mer of 2005.And specialshe is. In addition

to attending Northwestern StateUniversity in Alva, Oka., pursu-ing a teaching degree in elemen-tary education, Eva has manyother irons in the fire. As a pre-vious contestant (and often win-ner of) various beauty pageants,she has her sights on the MissNorthwestern title. A win would send her on to

the Miss Oklahoma competi-tion. Eva’s talent is magic, andbelieve it or not, a successful acttakes a lot of practice and work-

ing out physically. She is alsopledging a sorority and studyinghard to maintain top grades.And she still finds time to man-age and enjoy the StutteringFoundation’s MySpace page.

“I was verysurprised to seehow quickly somany peoplejoined,” Evatells us. “Manypeople havesent messagestelling me thatthey arethrilled there isa group likethis and thatthey havefound supportand help.” Evaalso shared thatmany peopledid not knowabout theS t u t t e r i n gFoundation and

might not have found its re-sources without logging in to itsMySpace.“I have updates planned for

the page very soon and expectit to continue to grow, offer-ing help, support, and comfortto many people who stutter,”Eva says. As an accomplished and sin-

cerely terrific young lady whojust happens to stutter, weknow Eva will succeed at any-thing she puts her heart intoachieving. �

MySpace members find support at :ht t p :/ / g roup s .my space. com/s t ut t eri ng foundat i on

FL … I am a SLP currentlyworking with a teenage girlwho stutters and would like togive her some information toread about stuttering specificto teenagers. It would help herto know that she is not alone.

�AZ … My daughter is almost 4years old and recently started tostutter a great deal. Up until nowshe stumbled over a few wordsbut nothing like it is now. It's al-most hard to understand her.

�NV … I would like some infor-mation to provide to a parent of amale 9 year old who stutters. Ifyou have anything in Spanish,that would be GREAT! Anythingyou’ve got should be helpful.

�NE … My 14 year old son hasstuttered since before kinder-garten. It has gotten progres-sively worse. Now he cannotanswer the phone without longwaits. Ordering in dinners is tor-ture. Not much available fortherapy in this area. Any help isgreatly appreciated

�MN … I am 53 years old andhave a severe stuttering prob-lem. I have suffered all my lifeand have tried speech therapyseveral times. I would giveanything to be able to speakmore fluently.

�PA … My husband stutters and Ihave now noticed for the past 2months that my 3 1/2 year oldson is stuttering. I am asking fortwo pamphlets one for my sonand one for my husband.

�IL … My son is 3 years old andbegan stuttering approx. 4months ago. He does not stutterall the time, but I feel theamount he stutters has in-creased and is more intensenow. I just wanted some infor-mation on things we can do. �

MySpace is a place to call home on the Web Web notesComments from

www.stutteringhelp.org

the University of Illinois. A risk fac-tor chart helps physicians decidewhen a child may be at risk andwhen to refer for treatment. “Whenever I write up an evalua-

tion on a preschooler, I always sendalong a copy (of this book) with myreport to parents in the hopes that itwill also reach their pediatrician,”says Adriana DiGrande, M.S.The mailing included an offer for

a free copy of the DVD, Stutteringand Your Child: Help for Parents,and the response from physiciansand their staff has been over-whelmingly positive.“Early intervention is the name of

the game,” said Lisa Scott, Ph.D. ofThe Florida State University.“Younger pediatricians are eager formore information on this topic, whichis rarely covered during their medicalschool training. This nationwide mail-ing has filled an important need.” �

Grant Continued from front page

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By Patricia ZebrowskiThe 2007 Workshop for Specialistsbrought together clinicians fromIndiana, Kansas, Florida, SouthCarolina, New Mexico, Missouri,Wisconsin, China, Turkey,Argentina, Thailand, and Finland.As it has since its Iowa debut in2003, the Workshop continues tohave an international flavor, withAmerican and international partici-pants engaging in stimulating cross-cultural discussions aboutthe treatment of stuttering. This year we were very

fortunate to have FranCook and Willie Botterillfrom the Michael PalinCenter in London, and LisaScott from The FloridaState University (Class of1998) as our guest speakers.In addition, as she did forour 2005 Workshop, 2003alum Julie Gasway fromCedar Rapids came to talkwith us about SpeechEasyand her experiences as aspeech-language pathologistand SpeechEasy dispenser. In between class lectures

and discussions we man-aged to fit in a number ofoutings, including dinner onpontoon boats on Lake McBridefor our last evening together. Asalways, the Workshop was ahighlight for us! �

Workshop attracts clinicians from around the world

Sally Pidge and PonjitJithavech taking a photo ofthe photographer.

Wait ing for the of f icialphoto.

Fran Cook demonstrates prob-lem solving.

Charlottevon Hertzen

and SaraMyers�

�Deborah Rhein, SallyPidge and Fran Cookshare a laugh.

�Sanna Vehko-aho,Dennis Cairns, JaneFraser, Charlotte vonHertzen, and Kay Darter.

Parrish Hill and FranCook.

Stacey Simpson,Ann Webster,

and Sanna Vehka-aho.�

Group photo without Parrish.

Front row: Sarah Myers, Dennis Cairns, Parrish Hill, Haiyin Huang. Middle row: WillieBotterill, Deborah Ostman (standing), Jane Fraser, Tricia Zebrowski, Frances Cook. Backrow: Mara Luque, Ponjit Jithavech, Sanna Vehka-aho, Lia Raquel Bloj, Ann Webster,Deborah Rhein, Charlotte von Hertzen, Sally Pidge, Kay Darter, Stacey Simpson, AkselFikret Mehmet.

10 www.stutteringhelp.org 1-800-992-9392Years

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Of the 32 stuttering adults41% showed childhoodADHD/ADD scores above themaximum score for the controlgroup. The high scores were re-lated to the following aspects,in descending order: (a) beinginattentive, daydreaming; (b)being tense, restless; (c) con-centration problems, easily dis-tracted; (d) tendency to be or actirrationally; (e) anxious, worry-ing; (f) hot- or short-tempered,low boiling point; (g) actingwithout thinking, impulsive.However, most of the stutteringcases had scores below the levelfor diagnosis of ADHD, mean-ing that they showed some traitsof ADHD or ADD but shouldnot be regarded as having thisdiagnosis. When splitting the stuttering

group into two halves, with lowversus high scores for child-hood attention deficits, it wasclear that early neurological in-cidents were more common inthe high-ADHD-group. Thefollowing list is a comparisonof various background factorsin the group with high versuslow ADHD/ADD scores (n =16 in both groups):a) Premature birth, average two

months: 3 versus 0 persons.b) Other birth complications: 4

versus 1 person.c) Head injury, resulting in un-

consciousness or medical care: 6versus 1 person.The high and low ADHD

groups also differed with regardto heredity: 13 cases showed"only heredity", i.e., they had atleast one stuttering relative butno report of early incidents.Eleven of these 13 cases werefound in the low-ADHD/ADD-group. In contrast, 7 casesshowed "only neurological inci-dents", i.e., no report of stutter-ing relatives but reports of earlyphysical incidents. Six out ofthese 7 cases were found in thehigh-ADHD/ADD-group.The link between traits of

ADHD and the background fac-

tors indicates that these traits werenot secondary effects of the stut-tering, but rather direct neurologi-cal effects of the background fac-tors. However, it should be notedthat traits of ADHD often are ge-netically transmitted, and resultsfrom Oyler (1994) indicate thatsuch traits in stuttering childrenmay well be familiar. In otherwords, traits of attention deficitsin stuttering children should notbe regarded as indications of neu-rological incidents.What does "neurological inci-

dents" imply?If early neurological incidents

are a factor behind some casesof stuttering, what does thisimply with regard to possiblecerebral lesions? It is knownthat early neurological incidentsmay result in attention deficitproblems, related to the basalganglia system and the frontallobe. Some of the incidents dis-cussed above were prematurebirth, birth complications, andconcussion. Both prematurebirth and birth complications areoften related to hypoxia. The ef-fects of hypoxia depend on sev-eral factors, such as the degree,duration, if it is intermittent ornot, etc. The effects may be sub-tle, for example affecting thedopamine system and resultingin loss of neurons within thebasal ganglia. In fact, the highcontent of dopamine seems tomake basal ganglia neurons es-pecially sensitive to hypoxia.There are indications that malesmay be more sensitive to earlyhypoxia than females. Also con-cussion resulting in uncon-sciousness might have subtle ef-fects in this region of the brain,because of forces in the upperpart of the brain stem. In gener-al, it seems as if lesions relatedto stuttering typically do not af-fect intelligence.SummaryIn summary, this study supports

previous studies reporting higherfrequency of early neurological in-cidents in a stuttering group with-out stuttering relatives.Furthermore, the results indicate

that these early incidents often re-sult in mild traits of attentiondeficits. This association furtherstrengthens the likelihood thatearly neurological incidents actu-ally have a causal role in a substan-tial subgroup of developmentalstuttering. The data from the recentstudy also suggest that genetic fac-tors and early neurological inci-dents may have an additive effect.If this is the case, one would ex-pect to find a continuum betweentwo hypothetical extreme groupswith "pure" genetic stuttering ver-sus "pure" neurological incidents. The factors discussed above re-

late to the biological basis forstuttering. The possible influenceof the psychosocial environmentduring upbringing remains to beestablished.There is a need for continued

studies in this area, especially look-ing at stuttering children and therisk for persistence of stuttering.ReferencesAlm, P.A. & Risberg, J. (2007). Stuttering

in adults: The acoustic startle response, tem-peramental traits, and biological factors.Journal of Communication Disorders, 40, 1-41.Böhme, G. (1968). Stammering and cere-

bral lesions in early childhood. Examinationsof 802 children and adults with cerebral le-sions. Folia Phoniatrica, 20, 239-249.Oyler, M. E. (1994). Vulnerability in stut-

tering children. Doctoral dissertation,University of Colorado. UMI Microform, No.AAT9602431.Poulos, M. G. & Webster, W. G. (1991).

Family history as a basis for subgrouping peo-ple who stutter. Journal of Speech andHearing Research, 34, 5-10.Segalowitz, S. J. & Brown, D. (1991). Mild

head injury as a source of developmental dis-abilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 24,551-559.West, R., Nelson, S., & Berry, M. (1939).

The heredity of stuttering. Quarterly Journalof Speech, 25: 23-30.

Editor's Note: Given Dr. Alm’sdata and speculation, would weexpect to see more stuttering infootball players, boxers and soc-cer players (the latter hitting theball with their head), especiallyif these sports were begun earlyin life? And what about allthose knocks on the head most ofus experienced as children, whyaren't more of us stuttering?These and related issues seemlike intriguing possibilities re-quiring further study. �

Neurological incidents from page 2

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Dave Taylor has been on the SFA’slist of “Famous People Who Stutter”for many years, but probably fewpeople know all of the unique accom-plishments of this former hockeygreat who was born on December 4,1955, in Levack, Ontario.Taylor worked many summers as a

teenager in the nickel mines in hishometown of Levack. He was a goodplayer in his youth and even once beatout Dale McCourt, a future first over-all pick in the 1977 NHL draft, for aleague scoring title. Taylor wasviewed as too light to play in amateurhockey in Canada, so instead he tooka scholarship to Clarkson College inPotsdam, New York in 1973. Unliketoday, very few college players madeit into the National Hockey League.Taylor set all the Clarkson scoringrecords and in his last year was namedboth an NCAA All-American and theECAC player of the year.After his outstanding college

career, Taylor was selected in thefifteenth round as the 210thplayer overall. In those days,someone selected in the fif-teenth round never made itinto the NHL. Some say his150 pounds deemed him anunlikely pro prospect.Taylor proved them wrongas he not only earned a spoton the Kings, but had anoutstanding rookie year in1977-1978 with 22 goalsand 21 assists. The next sea-son Taylor would start play-ing on famed “TripleCrown Line” with perenni-al superstar Marcel Dionneand top goal scorer CharlieSimmer. This trio tore upthe NHL for a few years.The Kings became more

popular in 1988 in theblockbuster trade thatbrought superstar WayneGretzky to the Kings.Taylor was definitely thelink between the “oldguard” of the Los AngelesKings to the new “Gretzkyera” of the franchise. WithGretzky leading the way,the Kings made theStanley Cup finals for thefirst time in franchise his-tory during Taylor’s six-teenth season with the

club in 1993. In 1991, while still an active player,

Taylor was honored with two awards bythe National Hockey League, the BillMasterson Memorial Trophy and theKing Clancy Memorial Trophy. TheBill Masterson Memorial Trophy isawarded annually to the player who bestexemplifies the qualities of persever-ance, sportsmanship and dedication tohockey. The King Clancy MemorialTrophy is awarded annually to the play-er who best exemplifies leadership qual-ities on and off the ice and who has made

a significant humanitarian contributionin his community.However, the year 1991 was most

compelling in that on February 5Taylor scored his 1,000 career point,putting him into an elite group ofNHL players throughout history.Dave Taylor has always been open

about his stuttering. He has admittedin public that he once had to drop aclass in college when he found outthat an oral presentation was re-quired. Also, early in his NHL careerTaylor when interviewed after gameson the radio, Taylor would alwaysfake hyperventilation to guide himto fluency. Taylor credits his tri-umph over stuttering to his workwith famed SLP Vivian Sheehan in

Los Angeles. Taylor’s stutter-ing certainly didnot hold himback after his re-tirement in1994 as heserved from1997 – 2006 asthe Kings’

General Managerand Vice President;

he was named the NHLExecutive of the Year for

the 2000-2001 season bythe Hockey News. He now isDirector of Player Personnelfor the Dallas Stars. Taylor

continues with his long-timeDave Taylor Golf Classic in LosAngeles, which benefits theCystic Fibrosis Foundation.It is almost impossible in thisera for someone to exclusivelyplay 17 seasons with the sameteam in his career in the NHLlike Taylor did from 1977-1994. Dave Taylor’s number18 was only the third numberretired in Los Angeles Kingshistory. While videos ofDave Taylor’s abilities onthe ice, both scoring andfighting, are available onYouTube, young peoplewho stutter will continueto be inspired byTaylor’s never-endingtriumphs over theodds. His enthusiasmand dedication willnever be retired. �

Former Hockey Player Inspires On and Off Ice

Photo provided by L.A. Kings

CELEBRITY CORNER

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outer “linguistic” loop (speech-language areas) and an inner“phonatory” loop (motor regions). The outer linguistic loop selects

and monitors speech sounds; theinner loop coordinates and acti-vates the motor programs of thevocal apparatus (see Alm, 2007 forsimilar discussion of inner/medialand outer/lateral “loops” thoughtto be contributory to fluent and/orstuttered speech). Stuttering canbe modeled as a momentary insta-bility in these systems when thetiming between these two neuralcircuits is interrupted (see Smith,Johnson, McGillem & Goffman,2000 for empirical attempts tomeasure “stability” in speechmovements and Smith & Kelly,1997, for discussion of“(in)stability” as a possible con-tributor to stuttering). Muscles that mediate speech

functions (tongue, face, larynx) arepaired structures. Muscles on theright side receive input from theleft cerebral cortex (left hemi-sphere of the brain) and those onthe left side receive input from theright cerebral cortex. The impulsesfrom the right and left hemispheresmust be synchronized to assurethat speech production is fluent.Orton (1927) originally suggestedthat this synchronization couldonly occur if there was a “leading”hemisphere.The leading hemisphere would

then impose its timing patternsover the other hemisphere to pro-duce fluent speech. Stutteringwould result if the margin of dom-inance was reduced. Theoretically, disruption at any

point within these two main neuralcircuits could induce stuttering bydisrupting the flow of information,which in turn would induce asyn-chronous activation of the pairedmuscles that mediate speech pro-duction. In this century many studies

have examined the anatomicalbasis of developmental stuttering,including several important studiespublished this year (seeReferences). At this juncture,

there is strong evidence that adultswith persistent developmental stut-tering have anomalous anatomy insome speech, language, and motorbrain areas. There is controversyabout whether one or several func-tional-anatomical defects may rep-resent a “neural signature” of stut-tering. Several “target” areas havebeen identified, and include the au-ditory temporal cortex, supple-mentary motor areas, the cerebel-lum, and left hemisphere whitematter pathways adjacent to themotor speech and mouth area.

Distinct features may be morecommon in men versus women,and right versus left handers whostutter. Furthermore, since moststudies have not been conducted inboth adults and children, it is un-certain whether some anatomicalconfigurations may be distincthallmarks of the disease or morereflective of compensatory or de-velopmental changes in brainstructure and function associatedwith experiences with stutteringbehavior. We speculate that there may be

“biological subtypes” that differbased on gender, hand preference,genetic factors, and stutteringseverity. Developmental effectsare critical to study so that we canlearn more about compensatorybrain changes in contrast to morebiological, constitutional, intrin-sic or fixed deficits. It may bethat some brain anomalies can bemodified by specific therapeutictreatments including the use ofdevices that alter auditory feed-back, pharmacological agents thatblock dopamine uptake, cogni-tive-behavioral and/or speech

therapy. We need to continue toexamine competing theories ofthe etiological basis of stuttering.We believe that Orton was wise toconsider how central defects maycontribute to the ontogenesis ofstuttering. It remains for modern-day investigators to determine thequalitative as well as the quantita-tive nature of those defects, howthey might change over the lifes-pan, and whether they exist formost or differ among subgroupsof people who stutter.

REFERENCESAlm, P. (2007). A new framework for un-

derstanding stuttering: The dual premotormodel. In J. Au-Yeung and M. Leahy (Eds.).Research, treatment, and self-help in fluencydisorders: New horizons (pp. 77-83).Proceedings of the Fifth World Congress onFluency Disorders, Dublin, Ireland ISBN 978-9555700-0-1

Beal DS, Gracco VL, Lafaille SJ, De NilLF (2007). Voxel-based morphometry of au-ditory and speech-related cortex in stutterers.Neuroreport, 18:1257-1260.

Brown S, Ingham RJ, Ingham JC, LairdAR, Fox PT (2005). Stuttered and fluentspeech production: an ALE meta-analysis offunctional neuroimaging studies. HumanBrain Mapping, 25:105-117.

Chang SE, Erickson KI, Ambrose NG,Hasegawa-Johnson MA, Ludlow CL (2007).Brain anatomy differences in childhood stut-tering. Neuroimage. Available online 13October, 2007

Cykowski MD, Kochunov PV, Ingham RJ,Ingham JC, Mangin JF, Rivière D, LancasterJL, Fox PT (2007). Perisylvian sulcal mor-phology and cerebral asymmetry patterns inadults who stutter. Cerebral Cortex. AdvanceAccess published on June 21, 2007.

Foundas AL, Bollich AM, Feldman J,Corey DM, Hurley M, Lemen LC, HeilmanKM (2004). Aberrant auditory processing andatypical planum temporale in developmentalstuttering. Neurology, 63:1640-1646.

Geschwind, N., & Galaburda, A. (1985).Cerebral lateralization: biological mecha-nisms, associations and pathology: A hypoth-esis and a program for research. Archives ofNeurology. 42: Part I: 428-459; II: 34-552; III:634-654.

Orton, S.T. (1927). Studies in stuttering.Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry,18:671-672.

Smith, A & Kelly, E. (1997). Stuttering: Adynamic, multifactorial model. In R. Curleeand G. Siegel (eds). Nature and treatment ofstuttering: New directions (pp.204-217).Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Smith, A., Johnson, M., McGillem, C. &Goffman, L. (2000). On the assessment of sta-bility and patterning of speech movement.Journal of Speech, Language and HearingResearch, 43, 277-286.

Watkins K.E., Smith S.M., Davis S,Howell P (2007). Structural and functional ab-normalities of the motor system in develop-mental stuttering. Brain Advance Access pub-lished online October 10, 2007. �

Atypical cerebral laterality from page 3

Developmental effects are critical tostudy so that we can

learn more aboutcompensatory brain

changes...

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motor profile. In other words, it’sthe emotional reactivity the childis born with, based on his biolog-ical makeup. Personality, on theother hand, is how the child’stemperament is shaped by envi-ronmental influences. For exam-ple, children who are born withmore inhibited personalities maybe less likely to grow into anx-ious, introverted adults if raisedin a middle-class environmentversus those who are raised inlow-income environments. Infact, Dr. Kagan emphasized thatalthough temperament is an in-herent biological trait, the child’senvironment has been found tohave as much or more influenceon how the child develops thandoes birth temperament. He cau-tioned against looking solely togenetics as explanation for humanbehavior. The third factor, mood,is the child’s chronic emotionalstate such as happy, worried, orserious, and is heavily influencedby the child’s temperament.Evidence from twin studies re-

veals that an individual’s likeli-hood of inheriting a particulartemperament is about 50%, buttemperament is not the only expla-nation for our emotional lives.Your temperament may bias youto respond in certain ways, butyour emotions and reactions arealso heavily influenced by the en-vironment around you. Temperamental profiles are dis-

tinct from one another rather thanoccurring on a continuum, and canbe identified in children as early asfive months of age. Also, certaindevelopmental disorders, such asattention-deficit disorder, havetheir own temperamental profile. Dr. Kagan and colleagues have

studied two groups of childrenextensively, those who exhibit ei-ther low-reactive or high-reactivetemperaments. High-reactivechildren are those who wouldusually be described as inhibitedor shy children. They demon-strate high reactivity by being ex-tremely sensitive to anything newsuch as new people, rooms,

foods, or experiences, and re-spond to new stimuli by gettingmotorically tense. Once the child“understands” the new stimulus,however, they will often thenrelax. Interestingly, when high-reactive 11- to 15-year-olds com-plete personality questionnaires,they will describe themselves asworriers, more serious, and lesslikely to smile or laugh than theirpeers. These self-reports wereconfirmed by observations of theresearchers who interviewed thechildren. In contrast, children who are low-

reactive, or uninhibited children, aremore social, exuberant, and likely toexpress positive emotions.Compared to the high-reactive 11-15 year olds, low-reactive childrenin this age group described them-selves as happy, easy-going, andless serious than others their age. Dr. Kagan went on to describe

results from a number of studiesinvestigating whether differencesbetween the groups exist in brainfunction, heart rate, and on otherphysiological measures. He em-phasized the role of the amygdala,a brain structure that is responsi-ble for the intake of sensory infor-mation and then acts like a “firedepartment” to send communica-tion to about 80% of the brain.Kagan and colleagues’ hypothesisis that high-reactive children in-herit a neurochemistry that takesvery little to fire up the amygdale,which in turn creates tension intheir bodies. He also shared hishypothesis that high-reactive tem-peraments may be noted more fre-quently than other temperamentprofiles in children who stutter,those who exhibit selectivemutism, and those children whodon’t make as much progress intherapeutic relationships.Dr. Kagan concluded his seminar

by stating that our current under-standing of temperament is equiva-lent to how well diabetes was under-stood in 1750; in other words, wehave much to learn about this impor-tant developmental factor and its rolein how children develop and interactwith their environments. �

Temperament Continued from front page

Cuban ConnectionDr. Frederick Murray is drawn

to Cuba. Since 2001, he has madeeleven visits! Through his numer-ous visits to work primarily withthe school system’s Head ofSpecial Education, he has exam-ined the attitudes toward stutter-ing and how stuttering is handled.“It is my impression there is a

shift in how Cubans feel aboutspeech handicaps,” says Dr.Murray after his recent fall trip.“They are becoming more en-lightened and now have centersfor help.”Stuttering Foundation materials

are playing an important role inthis shift. Dr. Murray makes apoint of always taking Foundationbrochures, DVDs and books withhim. In turn, the materials arehanded out to parents. Dr. Murray reports, “Self-

Therapy for the Stutterer is of par-ticular interest to them. The SFAresources have helped them to nolonger feel like a lost ship at sea.” �

A teacher stands outside a one-roomelementary school in the Valley ofSan Carlos, near Viñales, Cuba.

�Prof. Murray in anarea of Viñales wheretobacco is grown.

Dr. Murray, 79, hiking the

Sierra MaestraMountans in Cuba.

This newsletter is published quarterly.Please e-mail address changes andstory ideas to info@stutteringhelp.org.

Volume17, Issue 1Jane Fraser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EditorScot Squires . . . . . . . . . . Writer/DesignerPatty Reed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ProofreaderSpecial thanks to Joan Warner, ReneeShepherd, Susie Hall, Pat Hamm, LisaHinton, Anne Edwards, and Carol Ecke.

Years of Service60

The Stuttering Foundation of America isa tax-exempt organization under sec-tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal RevenueCode and is classified as a private op-erating foundation as defined in section4942(j)(3). Charitable contributions andbequests to the Foundation are tax-deductible, subject to limitations underthe Code.

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Years of Service60

Our best wishes for a happy new year!

The SFA staff (front row, from left):Anne Edwards, Jane Fraser, PatHamm, Roberta Brugge. Back row:Susie Hall, Joan Warner, Terri Jones,Lisa Scott, and Lisa Hinton. Not picturedJohn Bell, Carol Ecke, Don Edwards,Joe Fulcher, Patty Reed, ReneeShepherd, and Scot Squires.

stutter.” Because it deals with problems thatall children encounter, this bookshould have universal appeal. Editor’s Note: This book is a must-have for all kids and is sure to be abestseller. �

Trouble at Recess from front page

Jamie’s speech-language pathologistJulie Gasway points to a poster of Trouble at Recessat the ASHA convention.

�The Stuttering Foundation’s Five DayWorkshop, Cognitive Approaches toParent-Child Interaction Therapy, will

be in Boston, Mass., June 4-8, 2008. With Frances Cook,MSc, Cert. CT (Oxford), Reg

UKCP (PCT), Cert MRCSLT (Hons) andWillie Botterill, MSc (Psych. Couns.),Reg UKCP (PCT), Cert MRCSLT of theMichael Palin Centre for StammeringChildren in London. Conference coordi-

nator is Diane Parris, M.S., of BostonUniversity. Call 800-992-9392 or visitwww.stutteringhelp.org and click on “Speech-language pathologists.” The StutteringFoundation pays all tuition costs as well asroom and board for this exceptional in-depthworkshop.�The Stuttering Foundation’s Five Day Mid-Atlantic Workshop, Treating Children andAdolescents Who Stutter, will be at Children’sHospital of Philadelphia, Pa., June 18-22,

2008. With Joseph Donaher, M.A.,Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia;Lisa A. Scott, Ph.D., The Florida StateUniversity; and Kristin Chmela, M.A.,

Northwestern University. Call 800-992-9392or visit www.stutteringhelp.org and click on“Speech-language pathologists.” The Stuttering Foundation pays all tuition

costs as well as room and board for this excep-tional in-depth workshop.

�The Eighth Oxford DysfluencyConference, co-sponsored by the Stuttering

Foundation and the Michael PalinCentre for Stammering Children, willbe held at St. Catherine’s College,Oxford, July 3-6, 2008. It provides

an ideal opportunity to meet people from allover the world who have an interest in stutter-ing. Keynote speakers include: Professors PaulDolan, Imperial College, London, Marc Shell,Harvard University, Patricia Zebrowski,University of Iowa and Dr. Per Alm, DanishInformation Centre for Stuttering. Visitwww.odc.org.�European Symposium on FluencyDisorders, focusing on the nature and treat-

ment of stuttering, will be held atLessius University College in

Antwerp, Belgium, on April 18 and 19, 2008.For a complete listing of keynote speakers,seminar topics and presenters, as well as fees,visit www.lessius.eu/symposiumstuttering. �

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Millions of shoppers na-tionwide watched aStuttering Foundation pub-

lic service ad when it aired severaltimes on QVC during the holidayseason. Thank you, QVC! �

Holiday Broadcast