NSA Conference Videos

Keynote: Bill Wade - Guys From Harvard Don't Stutter. . . and Other Myths

Bill Wade is a Partner at Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm. He advises Fortune 500 corporations and leading non-profits on matters of strategy, growth and performance improvement. He received an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with high distinction as a Baker Scholar and Siebel Scholar. He also received bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from Brigham Young University, graduating summa cum laude. Bill resides in Southlake, Texas, with his wife Katy and two sons. Among other things he's now proud of, Bill is a life-long stutterer. After years of struggling with his speech, Bill discovered several lessons that changed his life. He shares stories and insights about this transformational change. . . and renews appreciation for the truth that stuttering should not (and does not!) hold one back. (60 minutes)

Master Class Series: Lisa Scott - Application of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Techniques to Stuttering Intervention

Dr. Lisa Scott directs the L.L. Schendel Speech and Hearing Clinic, teaches courses in stuttering and counseling, and maintains an active clinical practice. She is the Vice President for Education for the Stuttering Foundation and a former coordinator for the ASHA Special Interest Group 10: Issues in Higher Education. She has made numerous presentation at district, state, and national meetings, and co-authored several publications in the area of fluency disorders. Scott's 3-hour "master class" on Cognitive-Behavioral therapy focuses on changing thoughts as a means to changing behavior. The workshop outlines the cognitive model of the interaction between thoughts, feelings, and behavior, then identifies helpful vs. unhelpful thoughts and their role in behavior change. Concrete strategies for changing unhelpful thoughts are presented.

Master Class Series: Heather Grossman, "Stuttering Desensitization: Rationale and Practical Applications

Dr. Heather Grossman is a Board Recognized Fluency Specialist and Mentor. She has worked with children and adults who stutter and their families for over 20 years She is currently the Clinic Director at the American Institute for Stuttering in New York City. She is an enthusiastic supporter of self-help. Her research includes exploring parameters of stuttering modification including voluntary stuttering. This workshop explored the concept of desensitization in stuttering therapy. A brief review of the literature provides a framework for understudying the importance of desensitization. Practical, evidence-based strategies are presented that are useful to help children, teens and adults who stutter work toward desensitization including self-disclosure, and voluntary stuttering.

Master Class Series: Nancy Ribbler - When a Student Stutters: Meeting Challenges in the School Setting

Nancy Ribbler, M.A., CCC-SLP, BRS-FD has worked in speech pathology and fluency disorders for over twenty-five years. She is a full-time school-based SLP in Broward County School District in South Florida. She consults as a fluency specialist in Broward County and developed the On-Line Fluency Assessment Course in Broward County School District. Nancy served on the ASHA Steering Committee for Fluency Disorders and was the Liaison for the Schools Task Force on Fluency. This presentation is focused on addressing eligibility, scheduling, and documentation challenges with school-age children who stutter.

Master Class Series: David Luterman - Sharpening Your Counseling Skills

NOTE: this is a 80 minutes DVD version, excepted from a 3-hour presentation

Dr. Luterman has dedicated his career to developing a greater understanding of the psychological effects and emotions associated with communication disorders, encouraging professionals to incorporate counseling strategies in their clinical interactions. He presents a model of counseling which allows for content and affect exchange with individuals and families. He has lectured and written extensively on this subject throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad and is an ASHA Fellow. The presentation described (and demonstrated) a listening/valuing model of counseling. Counselor responses were demonstrated. The DVD includes debriefing of listening exercises.

Accept the Stuttering, Not the Struggling - Vivian Sisskin (with several participants from her therapy program)

Vivian Sisskin is an instructor at the University of Maryland and an ASHA Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders. She served as Coordinator of ASHA's Special Interest Division on Fluency Disorders and is on the Board of Directors of the NSA. She is the co-leader of the Northern Virginia TWiST Chapter. The workshop explains how living with stuttering does NOT necessarily mean living with physical struggling which comes from maladaptive behaviors that interfere with forward moving speech. The psychological struggle results from efforts to conceal these behaviors, as well as one's identity as a person who stutters. The resulting "mental gymnastics" can be exhausting! Panel members, at varying points along their journey share strategies from Avoidance Reduction therapy including the actions they are taking and the choices they are making to shed struggle and achieve comfortable, spontaneous, forward-moving speech. (90 minutes)

Covert Stuttering Exposed! - Cathy Olish, Kristin Pelczarski, Jennifer, and Anthony

Kristin Pelczarski is an Assistant Professor at Bloomsburg University, teaching courses in stuttering, child language, and phonology. Her research investigates phonological encoding and other underlying linguistic mechanisms that influence stuttering. Dr. Pelczarski has also worked with children who stutter and their families for many years at Children's Hospital of Pittsburg. This popular workshop organized annually by Cathy Olish features Pelczarski explaining covert stuttering (also called hidden or interiorized stuttering) followed by a panel of three covert stutterers (Cathy, Jennifer, and Anthony) sharing how this greatly misunderstood stuttering phenomena affects their lives. (65 minutes)

Keynote: Neal Jeffrey

Former All-American quarterback at Baylor University and NFL quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, is one of the most effective speakers in America. He travels the country speaking to churches, men's groups, sports events, corporate conventions, conferences and training seminars. Neal is recognized as a dynamic communicator and gifted entertainer who inspires audiences to go "higher, swifter and stronger" in the critical areas of life! (36 minutes)

Keynote: David Seidler

Adapted from the NSA program book: David Seidler, award winning screenwriter for the King's Speech. A Londoner by birth, Seidler developed a profound childhood stutter. As a result, George VI, the stammering King became a boyhood hero, role model, and inspiration for "The King's Speech." His stage version of "The King's Speech" will open in London during 2011.

Commencing with writing dubbing scripts for "Godzilla The Monster" movies, and taking time out to work as Political Advisor to the Prime Minister of Fiji, Seidler has sustained an extensive career with twenty credits to his name including: "Tucker, The Man and His Dream" starring Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, and Martin Landau; "Malice in Wonderland," Elizabeth Taylor's return role after a long hiatus, and projects developed for Bruce Willis, Jane Fonda, and Kirk and Michael Douglas.

Nominated for Writing Achievement by the Writers' Guild of America three times; winning for "Onassis, The Richest Man in the world" with Raul Julia, Anthony Quinn and Jane Seymour, Nominated for "My Father, My Son" with Keith Carradine and Karl Malden, and "By Dawn's Early Light" with Richard Crenna. He has also written three animated features, including "Quest for Camelot" and has lectured at universities in Milan, Rome, and the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.

David is the doting, excessively proud father of Maya and Marc, an avid fly fisherman, and hopes he can continue to be of service to the stuttering community which he is proudly part of. (65 minutes)

You Are Changed by What You Do: "Shame-busting" Through Avoidance Reduction Therapy - Vivian Sisskin and 10 participants in her group therapy program

"Sometimes I stutter and sometimes I don't." The variability of stuttering leads to efforts toward fluency, which in turn leads to more stuttering. The burden of concealment involves enormous mental energy to arrange, avoid, or alter communication to maintain "false" fluency. The result is struggle, not only in speech, but in thinking and decision-making. This 15 member panel will demonstrate and discuss various steps in Avoidance Reduction Therapy as they unravel the struggle and bust the shame, teaching about the complex process of self-acceptance and its relationship to comfortable, spontaneous, struggle-free speech. (84 minutes)

This panel provides a description of covert (or hidden, interiorized) stuttering, a greatly misunderstood stuttering phenomenon and three individuals who share the unique characteristics of their covert stuttering. (53 minutes)

Based largely on a 2005 article by Peter Reitzes, this workshop explore ways that voluntary stuttering can help the speaker desensitize to stuttering - stuttering in an easy, forward moving manner, demonstrating to others that stuttering is not shameful, maintaining appropriate eye contact in conversation, and reducing moments of stuttering. (35 minutes)

Support/Therapy Group Interaction with Adults Who Stutter: A Participatory Demonstration of a Dynamic and Fun Model by Kenneth St. Louis, assisted by Tim Flynn and Megan Hutson

Participants in this workshop experienced an enjoyable "group experience" with the following aspects: a light-hearted warm-up activity, individual goal setting and evaluation, a "gut level" (as opposed to merely "intellectual") experiential activity followed by summarizing/sharing/digesting ideas with others (stutterers and visitors focusing on a non-stuttering problem), and theme-based "lessons. (50 minutes)

Handout is available

Experience of people who stutter: What research tells us - by Jim McClure and John Tetnowski

The findings of the NSA's 2009 survey and the recent NSA-Friends survey of parents and teens report new insight on the social impact of stuttering and the effectiveness of different approaches to stuttering treatment from consumer-based surveys of people who stutter. (40 minutes)

Stuttering 101: Do YOU really know stuttering?

Presented by Lee Reeves, DVM from Plano, Texas, a long-time member of the NSA, and a person who stutters, and J. Scott Yaruss, Ph.D., CCC/SLP, BRFDS and Associate Director of the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, this workshop, in two parts, outlined stuttering throughout history and discussed current treatment and support resources.

A single, 2-hour DVD of two important research reports

• Recent Discovery of Genetic Causes of Stuttering - Dr. Dennis Drayna
  A report about the recent discovery of genetic causes of stuttering. In a landmark discovery reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, Dr. Drayna's research team described the discovery of inherited mutations that cause stuttering. The genes that carry these mutations indicate that these cases of stuttering are the result of an inherited metabolic disorder. This presentation described, in non-scientific terms, what this means for our understanding of stuttering and for people who stutter.
• What's New in Medication Treatment for Stuttering - Dr. Gerald Maguire
  Dr. Maguire, MD presented the latest infmormation on medication treatments for stuttering and will discuss the side-effects of commonly prescribed medications which may adversely impact stuttering.

Toastmasters Demo Workshop - facilitated by Bob Wellington and featuring Mike Bauer, Pamela Mertz, Joseph Diaz, John Hatcher, Pamela Mertz, Jeff Olevson, and Mathew Zenkowich

Toastmasters promotes the development of oral communication and leadership skills that lead to enhanced self-confidence and personal growth. This workshop demonstrated a typical Toastmaster's meeting. The Toastmaster of the Day conducted a mini toastmaster's meeting with two planned speeches and two evaluationrs, impromptu speeches and quote and joke masters.

7 Journeys: People Who Stutter Speak for Themselves - several short presentations from various sessions where people who stutter shared information about their personal journey, featuring Beth Bienvenju, Ernie Canadeo, Lee Reeves, Andrea Khoury, Marilee Fini, Katie Duffield, and Drew Kiser.

DVD: Research Symposium 2010 - The research symposium focuses on functional treatment outcomes, neurophysiology and imaging, and behavioral treatments for children.

The panel, moderated by Dr. John Tetnowski features

• Luc De Nil, PH.D., currently Chair of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. De Nil's research focuses on using behavioral and brain imaging techniques to study the brain mechanism underlying speech fluency in developmental stuttering and acquired adult-onset stuttering.
• Marilyn Langevin, Ph.D. in the Director of Research at the Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR) and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of Alberta. Her research interests include the social impact of stuttering on preschool and school-age children, evidence-based treatment, and evidence-based clinical training practices.
• Gerald A. Maguire, MD is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and director of the Kirkup Center for the Medical Treatment of Stuttering, the only facility in the world devoted wholly to this specialized area of medicine.
• J. Scott Yaruss, Ph,D, BRSFD, is an Associate Professor of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh and Associate Director of the Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. His research interests include the development of stuttering in young children.

Each speaker presented information about their research. Any of the presentations could be featured and discussed at an individual NSA meeting or in a course about stuttering.

Information about the speaker from the NSA conference program:

DVD: Research Symposium - The research symposium provides scientific information about the latest developments in stuttering research on the treatment of stuttering from some of the nations' leading experts.

The panel, moderated by Dr. John Tetnowski, features

• Larry Molt, Ph.D., CCC-SLP/A, BRFS, Associate Professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Auburn University in Alabama and Director of the university's Neuroprocesses Research Laboratory. Dr. Molt's topic was assistive devices used to enhance fluency.
• Dennis Drayna, Ph.D. is a Senior Investigator and Section Chief at the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Dr. Drayna's topic focused on the genetic aspects of stuttering.
• Vivian Sisskin, MS, CCC/SLP, BRS-FD, is a clinical instructor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland. Ms. Sisskin focused on stuttering and concomitant disorders.
• Gerald Maguire, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and the Kirkup Endowed Chair in Stuttering Treatment in the Department of Psychiatry and Senior Associate Dean for Educational Affairs at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Medicine. Dr. Maguire's topic was an update on potential pharmacological treatments.
• Walt Manning, Ph.D., CCC/SLP, BRFS, Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Memphis. Dr. Manning provided insight into behavioral therapy for stuttering.

Each speaker was given about 12 minutes and the presentation has been divided up so that one of the presenters could be featured and discussed at an individual NSA meeting or in a course about stuttering. Three of the presenters also provide their PowerPoints which can be downloaded from a private URL which will be sent with the DVD.

Covert Stuttering - 2004 and 2009 NSA conventions

DVD: Covert Stuttering Exposed

A single, nearly 2-hour DVD of panels on covert stuttering from the 2004 and 2009 NSA Conventions.

• Covert Stuttering Exposed! - 2004 NSA convention
  Moderated by Elaine Saitta, a speech-language pathologist, this DVD features Elaine (12 minutes), Cathy (22 minutes), Will (13 minutes), and Brad (12 minutes) sharing information about and personal experiences dealing with covert (or hidden, interiorized) stuttering, a greatly misunderstood stuttering phenomena. This DVD is recommended for all covert stutterers as well as overt stutterers who want to understand this unique form of stuttering. Speech-Language Pathologists and students in university courses on stuttering will also benefit from the personal information of persons who live with covert stuttering.
• Covert Stuttering Exposed! - 2009 NSA convention
  Ellen Bennett, a speech-language pathologist and Board-Recognized Fluency Specialist introduced this panel with a helpful explanation of "covert stuttering" (13 minutes). The panel then presented their personal stories living with covert stuttering - Evan (14 minutes), Hannah (11 minutes), and Bob (8 minutes). An exceptional introduction to covert stuttering that will help all persons who stutter (both covert and overt) understand this often misunderstood form of stuttering, and will serve professors and their students in university communication disorders programs with an excellent introduction to covert stuttering.

Short clip from Senator Biden's keynote address (the entire DVD is about 2 hours long)

DVD: Keynote address: Senator Joseph Biden

In 2004, then Senator Biden agreed to be a keynote speaker at the NSA annual convention. He was scheduled for about 15 minutes but stayed for nearly two hours, addressing the convention and then responding to many questions from the audience. He talked freely about his struggles with stuttering while he was growing up and entertained the audience with many interesting stories. 

DVD: Attitude is Everything

A 43 minute panel presentation by Junior (8 minutes), Vikesh (10 minutes), David (11 minutes), Bob (7 minutes) and Dale (6 minutes) sharing information about the importance of addressing attitudes and feelings about stuttering. Each individual presentation could be used as a discussion starter for an NSA meeting or in a class about stuttering. There are also four "discussion topics" provided on the DVD.

DVD: Keynote: Alan Rabinowitz

A 48 minute DVD (including an introduction by Phil Schneider) of the keynote presentation by Alan Rabinowitz, called "the Indiana Jones of Wildlife Protection" by Time Magazine, talking about "the gift of stuttering" and how it was instrumental in what turned out to be a very brilliant career in zoology, conservation, and field biology.

DVD: Keynote: John "Scatman" Larkin

An 9 minute video of a keynote presentation by "Scatman John", made freely available online by John's widow, Judy McHugh Larkin. John Larkin passed away December 3, 1999. He was a person who stuttered and was known for his "scatsinging" which he said was an example of how his "greatest problem has become my greatest asset." Professionally he was best known for his successful recordings in Europe on the BMG/RCA label. John received "Best New International Artist of the Year" in Japan and the German "ECHO" award for foreign artists. He also received awards from Italy, France, Poland, Hong Kong and elsewhere.