Paths Toward Recovery

by Kristin Chmela, Geoff Johnston, Walter Manning, and Robert Quesal

For some, the path toward long-term recovery from stuttering has led to normal fluency, for others it has led to an acceptance of themselves as persons who stutter, whether they speak fluently or not. For many it has led to signicant changes in both fluency and attitude. The following panelists have written their personal story of their path toward recovery and, after you have read their papers, are willing to discuss their journey with participants in the ISAD conference.

• Thoughts on Recovery by Kristin Chmela (Illinois, USA) - Kristin is a licensed, certified Speech-Language Pathologist who has devoted her career to helping individuals with fluency problems for the past twelve years. She currently is director of Chmela & Associates: Fluency Therapy & Consulting Services. She works privately, consults with clinicians across the state of Illinois, and speaks nationally on the topic of providing practical school age stuttering therapy.
• My life long battle and hard fought fluency using technique, psychology and technology by Geoff Johnston (Australia) - Geoff is Quality Manager for an Australian computer software company and lives in a log cabin on a small property high in the beautiful Adelaide Hills in South Australia. Geoff is a Past President of Speak Easy in South Australia and has been Treasurer and International Contact for Speak Easy Australia. Geoff believes strongly that people who stutter must be accountable for their own treatment and use any and every resource available to them to improve their fluency.
• My Story of Achieving Fluency: Progress Under the Surface and Over Time by Walter H. Manning (Tennessee, USA) - Walt is a professor and Associate Dean in the School of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at The University of Memphis. He is a member of the Steering Committee of ASHA's Special Interest Division 4 [Fluency & Fluency Disorders] and is currently an Associate Editor for the Journal of Fluency Disorders. He is author of the text titled Clinical decision making in the diagnosis and treatment of fluency disorders.
• The Origin of My Point of View by Robert Quesal (Illinois, USA) - Bob. is an associate professor at Western Illinois University, where he serves as program director and graduate advisor. He is newsletter editor for ASHA's Special Interest Division 4-Fluency & Fluency Disorders, listowner of the STUT-HLP listserv and ASHA's SID4 and SID10 -Issues in Higher Education. .His chapter entitled "Knowledge, Understanding, and Acceptance" was recently published in the Stuttering Foundation of America publication Advice to Those Who Stutter.