Eight people from across the United States took a major step for a brighter future at The University of Toledo this summer as they participated in the first Intensive Stuttering Clinic for Adolescents and Adults at UT, one of only about a dozen in the nation.
Dr. Rodney Gabel, associate professor in the UT Speech Language Pathology Program, directed the clinic. He is able to relate to the participants, as he shares their condition.
“I stutter, and I always knew I wanted to help people like me,” he said.
“Stuttering is one of those things that we don’t hear about a lot in the news, although the recent movie “The King’s Speech” did draw attention to the condition.”
“No one speaks fluently 100% of the time, but people who stutter speak with increased tension, repetitions and blocks; they are stuck for an abnormal amount of time,” he said.
But Gabel explained that the situation runs deeper. “It is much more than speech. What we see is only the tip of the iceberg. People develop a set of beliefs about their condition; their perception of who they are is very problematic. Plus societal attitudes toward stuttering are often very negative.”
“It is very hard to stutter and have to deal with it. There are a lot of emotional issues. They reach a point where they say, “I can’t deal with it.’ People come to the clinic knowing they need help. They realize they have to do this.”
“Stuttering is not usually regarded as something that has a lot of resources devoted to it, but it does take a lot of resources to help the individuals, which we try to provide through the Intensive Stuttering Clinic at UT,” Gabel said.
There were only 11 intensive therapy clinics nationally this summer, with UT’s the only one in Ohio. Participants were limited to eight and ranged in age from 10 to 27 years. They came from all across America. Gabel said people learn about this clinic from his years of conducting such programs at Bowling Green State University, from professional papers he has authored, and from resources on the Internet.
And intensive it is. During the two week program, participants are in therapy 60 to 70 hours each week.
“Some participants have had no therapy and some have had good therapy in the past, but they are ready and willing to make the personal and financial commitments.”
Recognizing that participating in an intensive clinic is a major emotional step for people who stutter, he added, “Putting their hope in us is also costly.”
“This is not medical management. Stuttering is not a disease, not a condition that can be cured. They come because they want the ability to reduce the impact, and we help them enough so they can cope and live successfully.”
“It is helpful for people who stutter to see other people who stutter,” Gabel said. “There is a lot of education, identifying behaviors while they stutter, helping them become less afraid. Our goal is positive acceptance that ‘It is what it is.’ We help them develop the skills and belief that they can deal with this problem and be less negative. Participants become more fluent and better communicators and feel markedly better than when they arrived.”
But there is another group who benefits from the clinic.
“We are also helping our graduate student clinicians to become better prepared. It’s a mini-internship for the speech pathology graduate students. There is one graduate student per client, plus two speech language pathologists, Dr. Stephanie Hughes and Brook Steele, who supervise the program with me.”
It is hoped that the eight graduate students will participate in the intensive clinics each summer, gaining much more experience working with people who stutter than is offered at most other universities.
To best help the participants in the real world, the clinic moves beyond the walls of UT’s Health and Human Services building and the Speech Language and Hearing Clinic.
“They take what we call a stuttering survey to people on campus,” Gabel explained. “They say, ‘Hello, my name is ___ and I am on campus working on my stuttering. Can I ask you some questions about your attitudes?’ This is a powerful technique. The idea of talking has become such a barrier to them, but they acknowledge it, take ownership of it, disclose it to others and can be comfortable with the ability to test perceptions about it.”
“We work on giving them all the tools we can to be more successful. They are noticeably more fluent when they leave, although we do not see 100% fluency as a goal. When someone speaks more fluently they will feel better about themselves, and their anxiety goes down.”
Cross-country extended follow-up is managed through the use of online video conferences, a modality of treatment call Telepractice.
Gabel said UT has been extremely supportive, and that the cost of the clinic is minimized through the support of the national Psi Iota Xi sorority.
“We have developed a relationship with Psi Iota Xi and they have been a godsend,” Gabel said. The sorority just announced a commitment of $100,000 to the UT clinic over the next four years, and this further enables Gabel to establish a second intensive clinic next year for 8-to-12 year olds.
The clinic for 8-to-12 year olds will be called the Intensive Stuttering Clinic for Children and their Families, and will be offered from June 24 through July 3, 2013. The second annual Intensive Stuttering Clinic for Adolescents and Adults will be offered from July 15-26, 2013. Thus a total of 16 individuals who stutter will be served as a part of these clinics, which are being called the Northwest Ohio Intensive Stuttering Clinics. For more information about the clinics, visit http://www.utoledo.edu/eduhshs/depts/rehab_sciences/speech/shutteringclinic.html
“There are 3.5 million people in the US who stutter, 1 % of the population. It’s been so positive at UT, and everyone is helping so we can make an impact.”
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