New Research On Stuttering Jul 2-3 At Arizona Symposium

NEW YORK, June 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- The latest research on stuttering is using new brain imaging techniques and other studies to explore the neurophysiological nature of stuttering, its connection with related disorders and the impact of life experience such as bullying and teasing.

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Ten researchers will present their latest findings at the National Stuttering Association's 2013 Research Symposium July 2-3 in Scottsdale, AZ. More than 75 speech professionals and researchers are expected to attend the event at the Westin Kierland Resort. The symposium will precede the organization's Annual Conference July 3-7, which will attract more than 600 people who stutter and their families.

Soo-Eun Chang, Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Michigan State University) and Pascal van Lieshout, Ph.D. (University of Toronto, Canada) will present new research confirming that stuttering is a neurophysiological disorder when it starts, and that adults who stutter function at the low end of a continuum of motor skill learning and coordination. Both emphasize that over time, listeners' reactions to the stuttering and life experiences quickly add major emotional and cognitive issues.

J. Scott Yaruss, Ph.D., CCC-SLP (University of Pittsburgh) will document how bullying and teasing adds to the impact of stuttering on children and highlight need to go beyond mere speech "exercises" to effectively treat children who stutter.

Janet Beilby, Ph.D. (Curtin University, Western Australia) will present evidence from a large scale study that stuttering's impacts go beyond mere speech symptoms, and that such secondary negative complications of stuttering must be evaluated and addressed to obtain successful therapy outcomes.

Jayanthi Sasisekaran, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota), Geoffrey A. Coalson, M.S., CCC-SLP (University of Texas at Austin), and Courtney Byrd, Ph.D., CCC-SLP (University of Texas at Austin) will present research findings that strongly suggest that stuttering is not JUST a motor coordination disorder, but also involves language planning abilities. This growing body of research may explain why stuttering still defies explanation: that it involves more than one critical system used in human communication.

Edward G. Conture, Ph.D. (Vanderbilt University), his colleagues and Shelly Jo Kraft, Ph.D., CCC-SLP (Wayne State University) will explore the nature of temperament in plotting the course and severity of stuttering.

Marie-Christine Franken, Ph.D. (Sophia Children's Hospital, The Netherlands) will report on the effectiveness of two major approaches to treating the early symptoms of stuttering in children two to four years old in a major initiative involving almost two dozen speech clinics in the Netherlands. Findings emphasize the effectiveness of early treatment of stuttering, rather than waiting for the child to simply "outgrow" it.

The nonprofit National Stuttering Association www.WeStutter.org is the world's largest stuttering support organization, with about 100 local support groups in the U.S. The NSA works closely with speech professionals and refers people who stutter to speech-language pathologists who have the specialized qualifications needed for effective treatment.

Media Contact: Jim McClure National Stuttering Association, (505) 833-3985, [email protected]

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SOURCE National Stuttering Association