Office Hours: The Professor Is In

The following university professors have agreed to serve as a panel to answer appropriately-posed questions about stuttering. This is especially designed as a good opportunity for parents of children who stutter, and for children, teens, and for adults who stutter to ask questions of several highly qualified specialists in the area of stuttering. Please do not use this forum to develop on-going discussion about various topics.

	Barbara J. Amster, PhD, CCC/SLP is the founding Director of La Salle University's graduate and undergraduate programs in Speech-Language-Hearing Science. She has more than 30 years of clinical experience and holds Specialty Board Recognition in Fluency Disorders. Her master's degree is from the University of Pittsburgh and her doctorate from Temple University. She has published on speech rate and fluency as well as speech-language development of young children in foster care.
	Dorvan Breitenfeldt is a Professor Emeritus from Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington. He has made presentations on stuttering to numerous organizations including the American Speech and Hearing Association, the National Stuttering Association, the International Fluency Association, and the International Stuttering Association. He developed the Successful Stuttering Management Program (SSMP), and has facilitated more than 40 intensive stuttering workshops. In 2003 he received the Clinician of Distinction award from the International Fluency Association.
	Eugene B. Cooper is a Professor and Chair Emeritus of University of Alabama Department of Communicative Disorders and Distinguished Professor Nova Southeastern University Programs in Speech Language Pathology. Cooper is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and received the Honors of the association. He and his wife Crystal are the authors of over 150 publications primarily in the area of fluency and professional issues.
	Doug Cross, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor at Ithaca College. He received his Ph.D. in Speech Science/Speech Pathology from the University of Tennessee in 1978. His primary professional interests are in fluency and fluency disorders with emphasis on the neuropsychology of human performance and treatment of stuttering. Dr. Cross' stuttering treatment program, A Systems Approach to Stuttering Treatment (SAST) integrates fluid movement, emotion, thought, and the psychology of performance in shaping effective communication. Present activities include (1) continuum-based scaling methods for assessing communication fluidity and communication naturalness, and (2) developing computer generated animation programs that facilitate understanding and shaping of fluid movement and communication pace.
	Judith Kuster, M.S., CCC-SLP, has an M.S. in speech-language pathology and M.S. in counseling. She is an associate professor in Communication Disorders at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is the webmaster for Net Connections for Communication Disorders and Sciences and the Stuttering Home Page as well as the coordinator of this online conference. She holds Specialty Certification in fluency disorders from the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders, is an ASHA Fellow and recent recipient of the "Distinguished Contributor" award from the International Fluency Association. .
	Kenneth J. Logan, CCC/SLP is a member of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Florida, where he teaches, conducts research, and supervises clinical activities related to fluency disorders. He has presented many papers and authored a number of articles that deal with the nature and treatment of stuttering.
	Richard Mallard is Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. His bachelor's and master's degrees are from the University of North Texas and his Ph.D. is from Purdue University. Dr. Mallard is a Fellow of ASHA and holds Specialty Recognition in Fluency Disorders from the Clinical Specialty Board of ASHA. Dr. Mallard has conducted intensive stuttering programs for children and adults since 1976 and currently works with families of children who stutter in intensive, non-intensive, and email/Internet formats in both university and private practice settings.
	Larry Molt is chair of the Department of Communication Disorders and the director of the Neuroprocesses Research Laboratory at Auburn University. He holds a dual masters degree in speech-language pathology and audiology from the University of South Florida and Ph.D. in speech and hearing science from the University of Tennessee. Larry is an ASHA Board-Recognized Fluency Specialist. Larry was named 2003 Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year by the National Stuttering Association. His current research involves EEG topographic mapping of brain activity in a variety of speech, language and auditory disorders, with a prominent interest in stuttering.
	Lynne Shields, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is currently a Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Communication Disorders Dept. at Fontbonne University, St. Louis, MO. where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses and supervises in on-campus clinic. She teaches in the areas of fluency, language disorders, and assessment. She holds Specialty Certification in fluency disorders from the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders.
	Nan Bernstein Ratner, Ed.D., CCC-SLP, is Professor and Chairman, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland at College Park. She holds degrees in Child Development, Speech-Language Pathology and Applied Psycholinguistics and is the editor of six volumes, and the author of more than 30 articles and 20 chapters addressing stuttering and language acquisition in children. She currently serves as Co-editor of Seminars in Speech and Language. Dr. Ratner is an ASHA Fellow and a Board-recognized Fluency Specialist.
	Peter Ramig,, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is Professor and Associate Chair at the University of Colorado. He is also engaged in private practice with people who stutter in the Boulder, Denver and Fort Collins area. His primary research interest area is on issues pertaining to children and adults who stutter. He also regularly conducts treatment with children and adults who stutter, supervises therapy in the CU Speech, Language and Hearing Center, and teaches, among other things, graduate-level courses in stuttering. Peter has participated in the development of the SFA videotapes on child, teenage, and adult stuttering, and he and Darrell Dodge have written a comprehensive book on stuttering for clinicians. Peter is an ASHA Fellow and board recognized fluency specialist.
	Howard D. Schwartz Ph.D. is the Coordinator of Speech-Language Pathology and full time Associate Professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, Illinois. Schwartz is also the chair of the university Institutional Review Board, a committee that reviews all human subject research on campus. In addition to his work at the university, Dr. Schwartz is the Director of the Institute for Communicative Disorders, Naperville, IL a private practice specializing in stuttering. Within the university setting, Dr. Schwartz is responsible for teaching, research, and the clinical program in stuttering.
	David A. ShapiroPh.D., CCC-SLP, is Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, USA. He has provided clinical services for people who stutter and their families for nearly 30 years and is a regular presenter at national and international conferences. He has conducted workshops throughout the United States, and most recently in Denmark, Japan, Canada, and Australia, on his fluency intervention techniques. His book, Stuttering Intervention: A Collaborative Journey to Fluency Freedom (1999, Pro-Ed), continues to be well received internationally. He publishes regularly in professional journals and is an ASHA Fellow, a Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders, and a member of the International Fluency Association. .
	Kenneth O. St. Louis, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, (West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia), has specialized in the area of fluency disorders for his entire professional career. He routinely treats people who stutter clinically, leads a support group for stuttering, does research in fluency disorders, and teaches courses to undergraduate and graduate students. He is currently pursuing research interests in cluttering, public attitudes toward stuttering, and stories of those who stutter. He holds Specialty Certification in fluency disorders from the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders.
	John A. Tetnowski, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor and the Ben Blanco Memorial Endowed Professor in Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is a "Fluency Specialist" approved by ASHA's specialty commission on fluency disorders. He has treated people who stutter for over 15 years. .
	Dale F. Williams, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders at Florida Atlantic University, where he serves as Director of the Fluency Clinic. He is also a consultant with Language Learning Intervention and Professional Speech Services, Inc. A person who stutters, Dr. Williams co-founded the Boca Raton chapter of the National Stuttering Association. He holds Specialty Recognition from the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders and was recently named as a Fluency Specialist Mentor.