COMMUNICATION SCIENCES 525
FLUENCY DISORDERS

 

Joseph Donaher                                   Temple University                      Pat King

Turtlecraw@aol.com                Summer Sessions                         pking001@temple.edu

215 590-7637                          Thurs. 4:30 – 7:30                                  215-204-1879

                                                                                    Office hours: Friday, 10 – 12:00

 

Goals: This course will strive to educate students on the primary characteristics of stuttering, etiological theories, how it develops across the lifespan, how it effects individuals and their families and what can be done to assist those who stutter. Much of the content will focus on diagnosing and effectively treating fluency disorders in a variety of populations including: preschoolers, school-aged children, teens, adults and in those with other types of fluency disorders.

 

An emphasis will be placed on effectively training students to work with people who stutter while adapting therapy to meet their individual needs. The course will stress an understanding of the family and their specific cultural and ethnic perspectives. For this reason, the curriculum will integrate theories from anatomy, physiology, acoustics, psychology, linguistics, cognition, counseling and other disciplines. To augment the coursework, students will participate in experiential based labs focussing on case studies and role playing.

 

Learning Outcomes:

Student’s will be able to compare and contrast cognitive and behavioral approaches to stuttering therapy.

Students will demonstrate counseling strategies within peer group role playing situations.

Students will demonstrate mastery of anatomical, physiological and cognitive vocabulary in exam format.

Students will use case studies to devise strategies for clinical intervention.

 

Text:   ● Shapiro, D.A. (1999). Stuttering intervention: A collaborative journey to fluency

freedom. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

● Various articles & handouts relevant to the topics covered in class.

 

Requirements: There will be a multiple-choice midterm and final examination and 2 short reaction papers (2-3 pages each). Class participation is expected and will count towards your final grade. Please be courteous towards the instructors and your fellow classmates and avoid excessive lateness and/or cell phone/beeper ringing. If you are unable to attend a class, it is your responsibility to obtain the material covered from another student.

 

 

DATE

TOPICS

5/29

Course Overview

Introduction of terms

Normal Fluency vs. Disfluency

Development of Stuttering

Impairment, Disability, Handicap

The Client’s/Clinician’s Role in Therapy

* Behavior Lab *

Shapiro Ch. 1, 2, 11

Manning W.H. (2001)

Starkweather (Unpublished)

6/5

Review of Lab Experience

Other Fluency Disorders

What is Therapy

What is Stuttering: Past and Present Views

Shapiro Ch. 3, 4

 

6/12

* Counseling Lab*

Counseling Techniques/strategies

Avoidance/Resistance/Deflection

Chasing the Fluency God/ Giant in Chains

Cultural Considerations

Asking Diagnostic Questions

SFA Counseling Video

Paper #1 due

Shapiro Ch. 5, 6

Yaruss & Sugarman (2001)

Cooper

6/19

Intervention Principles

Fluency Shaping

Stuttering Modification

* Techniques Lab *

Shapiro Ch. 7

Ham

6/26

MIDTERM

VIDEO NIGHT

 

7/3

Demands & Capacity Model

CALMS Model

Standard/Nonstandard testing

Measures of Severity

* Data Collection/Transcription Lab *

Paper #2 due

Yaruss, (1998)

 

 

7/10

Panel of People Who Stutter

Small Group Interactions

Golden Key Discussion

 

7/17

Treating Pre-School Children Who Stutter

Recovery Facts
Diagnostic Procedures/ Considerations

Goals of Treatment

Lidcombe Program

Indirect vs. Direct Therapy

Shapiro Ch. 8

Starkweather, Halfond, Gottwald

Onslow

 

7/24

Treating the School-Aged Child

Diagnostic Procedures/ Considerations
Goals of treatment
Common treatment procedures

Group therapy & support groups

Classroom presentations

Fluency Devices

Teasing/Bullying

Shapiro Ch. 9

 

 

7/31

Treating Adult & Adolescents Who Stutter

Diagnostic procedures
Goals of treatment
Common treatment procedures

Group therapy & support groups

Shapiro Ch. 10

8/7

FINAL EXAM

 

 

Behaviors Lab: Students will be introduced to the hierarchy of stuttering behaviors. These will include primary and secondary stuttering behaviors. After being given time to practice each behavior in class, students will be asked to pseudostutter off campus, in 3-5 different real-life situations and environments. This is an attempt to increase your awareness of what it would be like to be a person who stutters and to desensitize you towards stuttering.

 

Techniques Lab: After being introduced to Fluency Shaping and Stuttering Modification techniques, students will be asked to use these off campus, in 3-5 different real-life situations and environments. Clinicians must never ask their clients to do anything that they would not do themselves and must be ready to model any technique or behavior for their client. This

assignment should provide a realistic picture of what is involved in altering one’s speech with the use of techniques.

 

Reaction Papers: These 2-3 page papers should focus on your feelings leading up to the activity, during the experience and resulting from the experience. You should concentrate on how you felt, any reactions from others involved and what this taught you in regards to your role working with people who stutter.

 

Grading: Grading is based on the following scale:

Participation

10 points

Reaction papers (each)

15 points

Exams (each)

30 points

 

****Temple University policies on Sexual Harassment, Plagarism, Cheating and Discrimination may be found online or in the Communication Sciences M.A. manual.