Agenda

8:00 - 8:20 am	Welcome & Introduction (20 min)  Dana Hanifan, Jayaram, Dr. Mashour
8:20 - 9:30 am	Reconceptualizing work with children and their families at stuttering onset (70 min) Nan Ratner
9:30 - 10:40 am	The Adverse Impact of Stuttering on Children: Risk and Protective Factors (70 min) Bridget Walsh
10:40 - 10:50 am	Break (10 min)
10:50 am - 12:00 pm	Stuttering as Verbal Diversity: Shifts that matter (70 min) Nina Reeves
12:20 - 12:40 pm	Lunch (20 min)
12:40 - 1:30 pm	Panel: From Silence to Story: Panel on Stuttering Through Different Lenses (70 min)
1:30 - 2:40 pm	Stigma and Advocacy for Individuals Who Stutter (70 min) Derek Daniels
2:40 - 2:50 pm	Break (10 min)
2:50 - 4:00 pm	Getting started on the right foot: Ideas for the early stages of school-age stuttering therapy (70 min) Scott Yaruss

 

Instructional Personnel Bio

J. Scott Yaruss, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF, F-ASHA, H-ASHA, is a Professor of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University, where his research on stuttering is funded by both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Yaruss has extensive experience working with children and adults who stutter in a variety of clinical settings. He has given more than 800 continuing education workshops around the world, designed to help speech-language pathologists become more confident in their ability to help individuals who stutter. He has authored or coauthored more than 400 papers, articles, blog posts, chapters, or booklets on stuttering, including the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OASES), as well as School-age Stuttering Therapy: A Practical Guide, Early Childhood Stuttering Therapy: A Practical Guide, Minimizing Bullying in Children Who Stutter, and other materials published by Stuttering Therapy Resources.

https://stutteringtherapyresources.com/

Nan Bernstein Ratner is Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland, College Park. She has received the Honors of the ASHA and Fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her work in stuttering and child language development/disorder. Her work has been supported by the NIH NIDCD and the US NSF.

 

 

Nina Reeves, MS, CCC-SLP, BCS-FD, F-ASHA, is co-owner of Stuttering Therapy Resources. With extensive experience as a school-based SLP, she is widely recognized for practical, neurodiversity-affirming stuttering therapy presentations and resources. An accomplished author and international presenter, Nina has earned the Van Hattum Award, ASHA Excellence Award, and is an ASHA Fellow.

 

 

Lee Reeves, DVM, is a retired veterinarian and a person who stutters. Dr. Reeves has been actively involved with self-help and support for individuals and families affected by stuttering for over 40 years. He has served as a public member of the ASHA Specialty Board for Fluency Disorders and the ASHA Council for Clinical Competence. He has also served on the Texas State Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and is the past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Stuttering Association. Lee is currently the CFO for Stuttering Therapy Resources, Inc.

 

  

Amir Hossein Rasoli Jokar, a PhD student in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State, is a speech-language pathologist. Amir Hossein is a person who stutters, and he achieved his bachelor's degree in speech therapy from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Amir Hossein brings five years of clinical experience to the table, particularly in the field of stuttering. He is also the founder and manager of Green Speech Start Up, the first of its kind in Iran, dedicated to stuttering. His research interest primarily lies in understanding the experiences of those who stutter and identifying methods to mitigate the adverse effects of stuttering on their lives. Currently, he is contributing to the Spartan Stuttering Lab under the guidance of Professor Scott Yaruss. 

 

 

Jia Bin is a doctoral student and research assistant in Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University, working under the mentorship of Dr. J. Scott Yaruss in the Spartan Stuttering Lab. Beyond her academic work, Jia is an active leader in the stuttering community: she organizes support groups in both English and Mandarin, co-leads stuttering advocacy initiatives, and presents at national and international conferences.

 

 

Dr. Derek E. Daniels is an associate professor and graduate program director for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Wayne State University. He is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist who specializes in stuttering therapy and has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on stuttering. Dr. Daniels is a person who stutters, conducts research on psychosocial aspects of stuttering, and supervises graduate student training in stuttering through Wayne State University's Speech and Language Clinic. Dr. Daniels has participated in many self-help events, workshops, and clinical training programs for people who stutter. In 2023, he received the Professional of the Year Scholar and Service Award from the National Stuttering Association for his scholarly and community-service contributions to the stuttering community. Dr. Daniels’ research focuses on public perceptions of stuttering, identity, stigma, intersectionality, and culturally responsive practices for individuals who stutter.

 

 

Dr. Bridget Walsh is a licensed speech-language pathologist, Associate Professor of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, and Director of the Developmental Speech Laboratory at Michigan State University. Dr. Walsh investigates the development of stuttering and its adverse impact on children. Her lab takes a comprehensive, multilevel approach to map the neurological, behavioral, and experiential factors that contribute to stuttering and examines how these factors unfold over time.

Accessibility Accommodations:
If you or one of the attendees you are registering require accommodations in order to participate fully in the Symposium, please notify us at SLP-Mashour@med.umich.edu prior to submitting payment and no less than 14 days prior to the course with a description of the accommodation required.

 Completion Requirements:  Attendance is required to verify course completion. Those seeking CEUs are required to complete a self-assessment.

 

About the Course/Statement of Need
Many speech-language pathologists, educators, and parents/caregivers have expressed concern about their level of knowledge and comfort when working and interacting with individuals who stutter. Expert guidance and current views are needed for a better understanding of both scientific and clinical aspects of stuttering.

Course Description
This full-day symposium aims to address knowledge by providing: (a) up-to-date knowledge about neural bases of stuttering, (b) a holistic view of the overall experience of stuttering, (c) current views about how to diminish stigma surrounding stuttering, and (d) guidance about how to address stuttering in the school environment. Participants will learn from experts in both scientific and clinical aspects of stuttering, as well as from a panel of those who stutter who will reflect on their own life experiences.

Disclosures & Funding

Funding for the course’s speakers, venue, and lunch was provided in-kind by Dr. George Mashour and Dr. Cynthia Schoen. Their monetary donation did not influence the course content aside from the stipulation that the content’s focus be on pediatric stuttering. 

J. Scott Yaruss, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF, F-ASHA

• Financial: Salary: Salaried professor, Michigan State University. IP Rights/Royalty/Ownership: Stuttering Therapy Resources
• Nonfinancial: None

Nina Reeves MS, CCC-SLP BCS-FD, F-ASHA

• Financial: Salary, Ownership Interests, Royalties, and Intellectual Property Rights:  Stuttering Therapy Resources.  Other: Travel reimbursement from this event
• Nonfinancial: None

 

Nan Bernstein Ratner 

• Financial: Salary: University of Maryland, College Park. Grant support: NIDCD. Small royalties from sales of A Handbook on Stuttering (Plural Publishing); expenses paid for this workshop by the University of Michigan
• Nonfinancial: None

Dr. Bridget Walsh

• Financial: Full-time, salaried employee at Michigan State University; Research supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders R01DC18000
• Nonfinancial: None

Lee Reeves, DVM

• Financial: Ownership and salary interest in Stuttering Therapy Resources, Inc. Travel paid for by the conference.
• Nonfinancial: Former Chairman of the National Stuttering Association

Amir Hossein Rasoli Jokar

• Financial: None
• Nonfinancial: None

Jia Bin

• Financial: Salaried research assistant at Michigan State University.
• Nonfinancial: None

Derek Daniels

• Financial: Salaried employee at Wayne State University; Received an honorarium for this presentation.
• Nonfinancial: Member of the National Stuttering Association Research Committee; Research Director for Camp Shout Out; Associate Coordinator for ASHA SIG 4: Fluency and Fluency Disorders.

 

Learner Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the value of building a strong foundation for stuttering therapy.
• List 3 activities for helping students learn about speaking and stuttering.
• Describe 3 skills that students who stutter can use if they choose to change their speaking or stuttering patterns.
• Summarize recent research on stuttering persistence and recovery
• Identify priorities for early counseling and intervention in preschool stuttering
• Summarize current guidance and therapeutic approaches to preschool stuttering
• Evaluate the evidence base for counseling and treatment of preschool stuttering
• Discuss alternative approaches to therapeutic management and counseling in preschool stuttering
• Identify at least two distinct coping strategies from the perspectives of individuals who stutter, family members, and speech-language professionals
• Describe the unique challenges and triumphs faced by stutterers and their families
• Discuss the importance of a multifaceted approach to supporting individuals who stutter
• Define the adverse impact associated with the stuttering condition
• Summarize how children experience the adverse impact related to the stuttering condition
• Compare and contrast how clinicians’ perceptions of the stuttering treatment they provide to an individual child differ from prior investigations probing clinicians’ general perceptions of stuttering and its treatment.
• Identify the most common goals that children desire to work on in speech therapy for stuttering
• Discuss factors that may place children at higher risk for the development of adverse impacts
• Classify protective factors that reduce the adverse impact on children who stutter
• Identify challenges faced by adults who stutter. 
• Summarize strategies used in daily communication. 
• Explain how lived experiences inform supportive practice.
• Identify at least two ways that people who stutter can experience stigma
• Describe at least two ways that people who stutter can advocate for their needs
• Identify at least two ways to write therapy goals for stigma and advocacy
• Describe the difference between effective communication and observable fluency 
• List 2 current changes in narratives surrounding stuttering as verbal diversity
• Summarize three SLP roles in neurodiversity-affirming stuttering therapy

Accessibility Accommodations:

If you require accommodations, please notify us at SLP-Mashour@med.umich.edu prior to submitting payment and no less than 14 days prior to the course with a description of the accommodation required.

Refund Policy

Unfortunately, refunds cannot be issued when a learner cancels or does not attend a scheduled course.

Refunds of the payment amount minus a processing fee can be provided when:

• Michigan Medicine cancels a scheduled course after the user has registered and paid.
• Upon request, if the date, time, duration, or eligibility for ASHA CEU status changes after the user has registered and paid.

 

Accessibility Accommodations:
If you require accommodations, please notify us at SLP-Mashour@med.umich.edu prior to submitting payment and no less than 14 days prior to the course with a description of the accommodation required.