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.

You can post Questions/comments to the following professors before October 22, 2008


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 is an ASHA Fellow. She has published on the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for people who stutter, as well as the speech-language development of young children in foster care.
Klaas Bakker, Ph.D./CCC-SLP, associated with Missouri State University since 1990; specializes in fluency disorders; research focus on fluency disorders (assessment and diagnostic evaluation of cluttering and stuttering); develops new technologies for the assessment and measurement of clinical aspects of speech (dys)fluency; Associate Editor for the Journal of Fluency Disorders; Chair of the Website development for the International Cluttering Association.
Martin Diebald, earned his Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of South Florida and his doctorate from the University of Georgia. He holds the CCC/SLP, is a Board-Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders, and a licensed SLP. He is Professor of Communication Disorders at Eastern Kentucky University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Fluency Disorders, supervises graduate clinicians, and has served as Thesis Mentor to several graduate students in the area of fluency disorders. He is married and has two children and three grandchildren. He enjoys being with his family, clients, clinical teaching, reading, and taming a very inconsistent golf game.
Joseph Donaher, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is the Coordinator of the Stuttering Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He is a Board Recognized Specialist and adjunct instructor at Temple University. His clinical and research interests focus on the assessment and treatment of stuttering and disfluency patterns secondary to neurological conditions such as Tourette Syndrome and ADHD. Joe lives outside of Philadelphia with his wife and two children.
E. Charles Healey, is a professor of speech-language pathology at the University of Nebraska for the past 30 years. During his career, he has received a University Distinguished Teaching Award, the honors of the Nebraska Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and a distinguished alumni award from the University of Kentucky. He also is an ASHA Fellow and a Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders. Charlie has published many journal articles and book chapters concerning adults and children with fluency disorders. He also has presented numerous workshops and seminars on the diagnosis and treatment of stuttering in school-age children who stutter.
Brian Humphrey, a Board-Recognized Fluency Specialist, is an instructor and clinical supervisor in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He teaches a graduate course in fluency disorders, and he has published and presented research about bilingual stuttering and atypical fluency disorders. In his "other life", he plays several musical instruments in a band, and he composes tunes for traditional dancing. For several months in 2005-2006, he experienced neurogenic stuttering.
Evelyn Klein PhD, CCC/SLP is Associate Professor of Speech-Language-Hearing Science at La Salle University. In addition to being a speech-language pathologist for more than 25 years, she is also a licensed psychologist with post-doctoral training in clinical neuropsychology and cognitive behavioral therapy. She holds Board Specialty Recognition in Child Language. Dr. Klein teaches courses in counseling for communication disorders, research design, acquired language disorders, and language-learning disabilities. Among her varied research interests, she has published on the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for people who stutter.
Joe Klein is a person who stutters and an assistant professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders at The College of St. Rose in Albany, NY. Joe supervises therapy for people who stutter and teaches classes in fluency disorders. Joe has presented nationally at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Friends: The Association of Young People who Stutter, and The National Stuttering Association conventions. He has also published articles in Contemporary Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders, The Journal of Fluency Disorders, and The Journal of Stuttering Therapy, Advocacy, and Research. Joe lives in Albany, NY with his wife, Holly, and two children, Zachary and Greta.
Judith Kuster M.S. in speech-language pathology and M.S. in counseling, is an ASHA Fellow and professor of Communication Disorders at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is the webmaster for 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 the recipient of the ASHF DiCarlo Award for Outstanding Clinical Achievent, the 2003 Distinguished Contributor Award from the International Fluency Association and a 2007 Outstanding Contribution Award from the International Stuttering Association.
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 author of the text 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.
Charlie Osborne is 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.
Peter Ramig , is Professor and Associate Chair at the University of Colorado where he specializes in the treatment and research of stuttering in children and adults. He prides himself as being a clinician and teacher who makes a difference. His writings include research articles, book chapters pertaining to the topic of stuttering, and a 2005 published book with co-author Darrell Dodge, The Child and Adolescent Stuttering Treatment and Activity Resource Guide. In addition, he annually presents numerous workshops focused on many practical ideas for working with children and adults who stutter.
Peter Reitzes , MA, CCC-SLP, is an adult stutterer and an ASHA certified, speech-language pathologist working in an elementary school and in private practice in Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Reitzes is the author of 50 Great Activities for Children Who Stutter: Lessons, Insights, and Ideas for Therapy Success (PRO-ED), is co-editor (with Gregory Snyder) of the Journal of Stuttering Therapy, Advocacy and Research (www.JournalOfStuttering.com), is co-host of the Stutter Talk podcast, and is an adjunct professor at Touro University and Long Island University.
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.
David A. Shapiro, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a Fellow of ASHA, a Board Recognized Fluency Specialist, and the Robert Lee Madison Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, USA. In his fourth decade of providing clinical services for people who stutter and their families, Dr. Shapiro is a regular presenter at state, national, and international conferences. His book, Stuttering Intervention: A Collaborative Journey to Fluency Freedom (PRO-ED), is finding a wide international audience. Dr. Shapiro is the 2006 recipient of the International Fluency Association's Award of Distinction for Outstanding Clinician. . He is a person who stutters, has two teenage children with his wife, Kay, and lives in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.
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 counseling. She holds Specialty Certification in fluency disorders from the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders.
Ellen-Marie Silverman, TSS-The Speech Source, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, received the Ph.D. in speech pathology from the University of Iowa in 1970. Since then, she has been a Post-Doctoral Fellow in developmental psycholinguistics and a member of several university faculties and has provided clinical services in diverse service environments. She is an ASHA Fellow, and a member of SID#4. Dr. Silverman also has had training in transactional analysis, which she has used to form the structure of her clinical approach. The author of scientific and technical publications, several textbook chapters, and Jason's Secret, a novel for children about the nature and treatment of children's stuttering problems, she has presented at local, state, national, and international meetings.
Vivian Sisskin, is an instructor and clinical supervisor in the department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the University of Maryland, and was awarded the 2008 Excellence in Teaching Award by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. She is an ASHA Board Recognized Specialist in Fluency Disorders and serves as Coordinator for ASHA's Special Interest Division 4, Fluency and Fluency Disorders. She has authored articles and continuing educational materials related to the treatment of stuttering in school-age children. In addition to assessment and treatment, her workshops include strategies for effective group therapy and supervision in the areas of fluency disorders. Vivian is a private practitioner in the Washington D.C. area.
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, Ph.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, BRS-FD is a 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 board-recognized fluency specialist, Dr. Williams is the Chair of the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders and coordinator of the Boca Raton chapter of the National Stuttering Association. His 2006 book is entitled Stuttering Recovery: Personal and Empirical Perspectives (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.).
J. David Williams,, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at Northern Illinois University (NIU), earned a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1954, specializing in stuttering. His career included teaching and clinical practice at Marshall University, the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, the University of the Philippines (as a Fulbright lecturer), and NIU from 1959 until his 1986 retirement. Dr. Williams was active in the National Council of Stuttering for several years, organizing conferences and editing their quarterly newsletter. He and his wife, Dorothy, also a speech therapist, will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in September 2009.

You can post Questions/comments to any or all of these professors before October 22, 2008


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