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.
	Hans-Georg Bosshardt, Ph.D.is a professor of psychology and vice-dean of the Department of Psychology at the Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany). He is a past president of the International Fluency Association and has the status of an ASHA international affiliate. He has published and presented several papers on stuttering and presently investigates how speech planning and short-term memory load affect speech fluency, laryngeal activity and the timing of speech movements. He dreams of bird watching and hiking in Arizona and California.
	Shelley B. Brundage is an associate professor at the George Washington University in Washington DC. She teaches courses on stuttering, research methods, and neurogenic communication disorders. She is a Board-Recognized Specialist and Mentor in Fluency Disorders. She serves on the steering committee for ASHA's Special Interest Division 10: Issues in Higher Education. Her main areas of research interest are in stuttering and in evaluation of the treatment process.
	Brian Humphrey, a board-recognized specialist in fluency disorders, is a program instructor and clinical supervisor in speech-language pathology at Nova Southeastern University, in Fort Lauderdale, FL. At the NSU Clinics for Speech, Language, and Communication, he provides clinical supervision and treatment for a variety of speech and language disorders, and serves as ombudsperson for clinical technology. His research, publications, and presentations focus on stuttering and other fluency disorders, especially bilingual stuttering and atypical fluency disorders. .
	Robert Kroll, Ph.D. is the Director of the Stuttering Centre and the Co-Executive Director of the Speech Foundation of Ontario and an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto. Bob introduced one of the first specialized and intensive programs for stuttering to Canada in the mid 1970's and presently sees clients from all over the country and beyond. His research interests include neuroimaging studies of stuttering, treatment efficacy and educational issues pertaining the training of clinicians. He has presented and published extensively on stuttering.
	Judith Kuster M.S. in speech-language pathology and M.S. in counseling, is a professor of 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 Recognition in Stuttering and is a member of the Division #4 Fluency and Fluency Disorders. She is a member of the National Stuttering Association, the International Fluency Association and the International Stuttering Association.
	Kenneth Logan, Ph.D., 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 a retired Professor from 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.
	Walter Manning, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a professor and Associate Dean in the School of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at The University of Memphis. He teaches courses in fluency disorders and research methods. He has published more than 60 articles in a variety of professional journals and has presented on many occasions to regional, national, and international meetings. He is the author of a text titled "Clinical decision making in the diagnosis and treatment of fluency disorders." He is a fellow of ASHA and has received the honors of Tennessee Association of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists. He holds Specialty Certification in fluency disorders from the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders.
	Barbara Mathers-Schmidt, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is Professor and Chair, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. She is a board-recognized fluency specialist. Dr. Mathers-Schmidt teaches in the areas of stuttering, motor speech disorders, speech science, and research methodology. Her research interests include assessment of language and communication self-awareness factors that might impact stuttering in children. .
	Charlie Osborneis a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin in Stevens Point, Wisconsin where he teaches the fluency disorders course and other courses, supervises in clinic, and provides clinical services at St. Michael's Hospital in Stevens Point. He is a member of ASHA's Fluency and Fluency Disorders Special Interest Division and of the International Fluency Association. He has worked with children and adults who stutter for over twenty years.
	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, a Board-recognized Fluency Specialist, and recipient of the 2006 IFA Distinguished Researcher Award.
	Gary Rentschler, Ph.D. CCC.SLP is Clinic Director in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he directs the Adult and Adolescent Stuttering Program. A board-recognized Fluency Specialist, Gary also was recognized as Speech-Language Pathologist of the Year 2002 by the National Stuttering Association.
	William S. Rosenthal, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus from the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Cal State East Bay, is "mostly retired from the University." He has a Ph.D. in Speech and Hearing Sciences and Psychology and is a member of the American Psychological Association, Division 29, Psychotherapy, and a member of the International Transactional Analysis Association. He has taught a graduate-level seminar in Counseling and Psychotherapy for Speech-Language Pathologists, as well as courses in fluency disorders..
	David Shapiro, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Human Services at Western Carolina University. He is an ASHA Fellow and recipient of the IFA Clinician Award for 2006. He is the author of Stuttering Intervention: A Collaborative Journey to Fluency Freedom. Austin, TX: PRO-ED. He lives with his wife and children in the mountains of North Carolina.
	Michael Susca, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the University of the Pacific. Dr. Susca is an ASHA Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders, a member of the Special Interest Division Four*Fluency and Fluency Disorders steering committee, and has over thirty years experience in treating people who stutter. Dr. Susca has published in national and international journals, presented at state, national, and international conventions, and is a former stutterer himself. He also continues a small private practice primarily for people who stutter.
	Ken St. Louis Ph.D. CCC-SLP, is a professor at West Virginia University, a speech-language pathologist and mostly recovered stutterer. His research in person-first terminology has lead naturally to research on public attitudes toward stuttering in general. In that area, he coordinates an international initiative to develop an instrument for measuring public opinion toward 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.
	Greg Snyder, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Greg Snyder earned a Ph.D. from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at East Carolina University. After graduation he was assistant professor in the Department of Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences at Gallaudet University. Currently he is an assistant professor at the Department of Communicative Disorders at the University of Mississippi.
	John A. Tetnowski, JPh.D., CCC-SLP, is the Ben Blanco Memorial Endowed Professor in Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is a Board Recognized Fluency Specialist and Mentor. He has authored many articles on stuttering, and associated disorders, as well as papers on qualitative research and assessment procedures. He has treated people who stutter for over 15 years and was recently named the 2006 Oustanding Speech-Language Pathologist by the National Stuttering Association.
	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.

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