NOVEMBER DECEMBER2010

119 W. 40th Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10018 • 800.WeStutter (937.8888) • 212.944.4050 • email: info@WeStutter.org • www.WeStutter.org

Survey Says: Cleveland Rocked . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Getting Ready for 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

From a Clutterer: Strategies That Helped. . . . 4

New Teachers’ Brochure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Odds & Ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Poem: m-mmmme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Survey of Parents and Teens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Money Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Happy Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

The Gift ofListeningBY BECCA LIBEN

“Come on, Mikey; let’s go play!”These words flew with ease out of my

7-year-old mouth. However, despite hisenthusiasm, my brother’s response tooka long time; his words came haltingly,sometimes partially, and often repetitively.It didn’t mean much to me then, but my12-year-old brother had a severe stutter.To me that behavior was normal, and itwas not until friends questioned his speechthat I realized that it wasn’t.In the course of my life, my brother

has taught me many things, but hisstuttering has perhaps taught me mygreatest life lessons.As we confront each day, armed with

schedules, commitments, and deadlines,it seems impossible to not feel pressed fortime. Technology and multitasking havehad the effect of accelerating the flow ofinformation. In the world of the stutterer,time is a different form of enemy: willpeople “stick around” long enough to listento what (s)he has to say? If completing athought is frustrating for the stutterer, it isonly compounded by the emotional angstabout how it is being received. Listenersmust pay close attention to understandwhat a stutterer is trying to say, but withthe pressure of time that is often hard todo. Just stopping to listen has become rarefor many people.Somehow, Mike found a way to com-

municate effectively. Through Mike, I have

learned patience, focus, and understanding,and these skills have contributed to whoI am. I am grateful to my brother forthese gifts – to really listen to what peoplearound me have to say is a gift that I hopeto share with others.Mike’s response to life was never more

important to me than when I was diagnosedwith a “learning difference.” My brotherwas the first one to encourage me to nevergive up. I wondered why certain tasks inschool were more challenging for me thanthey were for others. Mike helped merealize that my differences made me whoI am. By accepting who I was and workingto improve areas that were not as strong asothers, I was able to reach my potential –and especially, to know how to do mybest and to accept nothing less than thatfrom myself.Mike has influenced me more than

anyone else I know. He has encouragedme to think in a different way. My brotherhas taught me to believe in myself, to havefaith in my abilities. I hope to pursue acareer in psychology, and I know that thelessons I have learned from my brotherwill help me become successful. Patience,focus, and determination are valuable lifeskills that will help me in college, in acareer, and throughout my life. In thisbusy world I, too, have to multitask, andmy planner is full of obligations. However,along the way, I know that I will stop,turn off the iPod, put away the cell phone,and really listen. �

Becca Liben, 20 years old, is a sophomore atMuhlenberg where her major is Psychology.

Giddyup, NSAers, cause we’re headin’ southto the Lone Star State for the biggest “BlockParty” of your life! That’s right, we’re goingbig, REALLY BIG! Fort Worth, Texas will bethe home of the 28th Annual NSAConference July 6–10, 2011.Fort Worth is located 33 miles west of

“Big D” (Dallas). The city is a throwbackto the way Texas was meant to be seen.Fort Worth was the start of the AmericanWest and embraces its proud history. Thecity was also voted as one of “America’sMost Livable Communities.”Check out Sundance Square, the place for

all the nightlife you could ask for fromimprovisational comedy to dancing andunique dining options. Want more? Take atour of the new, dazzling Cowboys Stadium,see a Texas Rangers baseball game, or visit thehistoric Fort Worth Stockyards. And if you’rean adrenaline junkie, live on the edge at theamusement park Six Flags Over Texas.

Photo: Steven R. Shook. Publisher, Printer, Photographer of postcard:Atlas News Shop, E. C. Kropp Company (#21053), circa 1945

2011: Gettin’ Wildin the WestFort Worth, TexasJuly 6–10, 2011

continued on page 7

2 NATIONAL STUTTERING ASSOCIATION

www.WeStutter.org

Well, here it is again. Another greatyear coming to end, and now withhigh hopes for 2011. Together, the NSAhelped people who stutter and intro-duced new programs and materialsthrough another year. Congratulationsto you on achieving such a significantaccomplishment!

Around this time of year manynon-profit organizations send out anappeal for donations. Although wecertainly welcome and need financialsupport (and will send that letteranother day :-), in this end-of-yearmessage we want to share ourappreciation and gratitude for themany ways you offered your time,support, and collaboration in 2010.

To Our Financial ContributorsWe gratefully acknowledge theindividuals and organizations whoprovided financial support to theNational Stuttering Association in2010. Your donations are invaluable.In these challenging times yourfinancial contributions, large andsmall, are helping us take the nextsteps that enable the work we do.We simply couldn’t do it without you.Thank you so much!

To the Incredible NSA ChapterLeaders, Presenters, and Volunteers“Thank you” to the chapter leadersall over the U.S. who have given sogenerously of their time, hearts,wisdom, and love to help guide theNSA forward this year.

“Thank you” to the regional leaderswho share the gift of the NSA withintheir geographic areas (and sometimesfar beyond) and help care for theever-expanding community.

“Thank you” to the speech-languagepathologists who support the part-nerships and goals of NSA educationand research, who champion ourprofessional focus, who guide ourlearning program development,

and are helping the NSA to thrive,whatever the future brings for allof us.

“Thank you” to each and everyNSA member who gives so muchto nurture the NSA in building life-affirming futures — we can’t thankyou enough!

“Thank you” to each of you whosubscribes to this newsletter and staysconnected with us. We appreciateyour feedback, your questions, yourpresence, and your support.

“Thank you” to our sister organi-zations and all those who fosterconversations that matter. Thankyou for being there and aligningwith us and other kindred networksto strengthen our common voice.

In addition to the wonderfulNSA community and our other friendsand colleagues, this year we also givethanks for the opportunities thatawait us in 2011. We particularlywelcome the promise of new families,adults, and speech-language patholo-gists who continue to share our motto:“If you stutter, you are not alone.”

Happy Holidays to you and yourloved ones.

Warm Wishes,Tammy Flores, Executive DirectorErnie Canadeo, Chairman

Getting Ready for 2011FROM TAMMY FLORES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AND ERNIE CANADEO, CHAIRMAN

Survey Says:Cleveland RockedThe survey of attendees at the NSA 2010conference in Cleveland indicates that nearlyall were satisfied with their overall experienceat the conference. 207 people respondedto the post-conference survey, including68 first-time attendees.Nearly two-thirds of first-timers had not

been affiliated with the NSA before they heardabout the conference. This is a change frompast years, when more than half of first-timeattendees were NSA members before attendingthe conference. Some adult first-timers,however, reported a little difficulty meetingpeople and socializing, perhaps because aNSA gathering was a new experience for them.Parents attending the conference for the

first time had overwhelmingly positiveresponses. The majority of these surveyrespondents said the conference exceeded theirexpectations in changing their attitudes aboutstuttering, improving their self-confidenceas parents, learning from other parents,meeting successful adults who stutter, andinvolving the whole family in activities.Conference attendees were satisfied with

the way the conference was administered andwith the helpfulness of NSA volunteers andstaff. As in past years, survey respondentswere satisfied with the opening reception,general sessions, research symposium, silentauction, live auction/banquet, and closingceremony. However, the Thursday generalsession drew some negative comments, andthe banquet room made it difficult for a fewattendees to hear the live auction.Adult workshops received generally good

reviews, but schedule conflicts also were aproblem for some. Two new initiatives atthis year’s conference, workshops focusingon 20-somethings and career development,were well received.Speech-language pathologists said the

conference met or exceeded their expectationsand compared well with other professionalconferences. Continuing education work-shops and the research symposium gotpositive reviews.Conference attendees who stayed at the

Renaissance Cleveland hotel were satisfiedwith the courtesy and helpfulness of the hotelstaff, but were critical of the quality of therooms and particularly the air conditioning.About 75% say they are likely to attend

next year’s conference. �

Auburn, AlabamaThe Auburn chapter had its firstmeeting in over a year on September15, writes Embry Burrus, who is anassociate clinical advisor at Auburn.Six people attended, including threecollege students who stutter, onespeech-language pathologist graduatestudent, an academic faculty member,and Embry. After the opening wordseveryone introduced themselves. Theythen discussed what everyone wouldlike to get from the meetings andhow they could encourage and supportone another. The college studentsthen talked about what was goingon in their lives and how they werefeeling about upcoming events (classpresentations, graduation, etc.). Overall,it was a great meeting, and everyoneis looking forward to the next one!

Central WisconsinDan Koblitz writes that the CentralWisconsin chapter met on September 14with three people attending. One ofthe members, Rene, drove 1-1/2 hoursto attend her second meeting withthem. The group discussed numeroustopics about stuttering, including theimportance of accepting the conditionand not letting it define them. Beforethey knew it, the meeting was almost3 hours long. Rene opened up abouther stuttering and plans to continue toattend meetings. Jim also confirmedthat the chapter now has radio ads ontwo local public stations.

Los Angeles, CaliforniaJosh Marcus, chapter co-leader forthe new Los Angeles chapter, reportsthat their first meeting was held onSeptember 16 at Cal State University/Los Angeles. Four people attended,including Devin Billingsley, the chapter’sother co-leader. Also in attendancewere Cora Campbell and Jian Feng.Josh said a few welcoming words andgave a brief explanation of how thechapter was started. Everyone intro-duced themselves and explained whythey decided to attend the meeting.They then discussed what everyone

would like to get from the meetingsand gave suggestions for topics andmeeting activities. Many great ideaswere suggested. These will be sharedin future meetings. The faculty of theCal State Communicative Disorderswere thanked for opening their doorsto the chapter.

Northwest OhioThe Northwest Ohio NSA chapter heldits first meeting since late spring inBowling Green, Ohio. Seven peopleattended, including a new memberthat the chapter members were reallyexcited to welcome to the group.They decided on several activities theywanted to engage in during the fall,including a social event either in acorn maze or a haunted house. Theythen talked about getting perspectiveregarding “bad days” which mightcause an increase in their stuttering.Some people wanted to practice “openstuttering” at the meetings. Also, theydiscussed their perceptions of theirown speech versus the perceptionsothers have of their stuttering. Thisdiscussion went really well! CharlesHughes is the chapter leader of thegroup and is a doctoral student in theCommunication Disorders Departmentat Bowling Green.

Rochester, New YorkThe Rochester chapter met onSeptember 13 at their regular meetingplace, Nazareth College. Besides PaulTucci, chapter co-leader, there werenine people attending — seven peoplewho stutter and one family member.Also in attendance was Angela, theother co-leader. The group spent muchof their meeting updating the groupon their lives. One of the members,Danette, shared her experiences as afirst-timer at the NSA conference inCleveland. She reported that her dayswere filled with activities and thatit was a great experience overall.Another member of the Rochestergroup had recently begun to weara SpeechEasy delayed auditory feed-back advice. He has only worn it for w

ww.WeStutter.org

a short time, and the group looksforward to future updates from him.The other important discussion hadto do with “attitude” — how do weovercome real (or perceived) negativereactions by others to our stuttering?Although there was no definitiveanswer to this, there were very positiveand supportive comments by many inthe group.

Rockville, MarylandThere were five people at theSeptember 7 meeting of the Rockvillechapter. One chapter member sharedthat when he and his friends gettogether at a bar, he has difficultyholding their attention while he tellsa story. He noted that he also looksaway when he talks. The loud environ-ment increases his stuttering. Othersat the meeting empathized with hisexperiences. They suggested thatkeeping good eye contact helps. Forthe main activity, the group took turnsreading an article entitled “CovertStuttering: An Almost-Silent Affliction.”One of the members there shared anincident when he was a correctionsofficer in a prison. He tried talkingover a walkie-talkie system to tell theprisoners they would be released fromtheir cells for a break. He had a hardtime speaking over the system and wasvery embarrassed. His fellow correctionsofficers comforted him and suggestedthat he release the walkie-talkie whenhe was having a block and then activateit when he had control over his speech.This way his speech would soundsmoother over the prison radio systemsduring transmissions. Jerome Mortman,co-leader of the Rockville chapter,thought it was an interesting story!

CHAPTERNEWSFROM BONNIE WEISS

CHANGING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WHO STUTTER 3

4 NATIONAL STUTTERING ASSOCIATION

www.WeStutter.org

I was diagnosed with a mild clutteringdisorder when I was 24 years old. Clutteringis a type of fluency impairment, and it oftengets misdiagnosed or undiagnosed altogether.I want to discuss here what has helped meimprove my speech. I hope this will helpothers who clutter to find some strategies thatmay help improve their own speech and shedsome light for speech-language pathologists(SLPs) on some focal points to help theirclients with fluency disorders.I always knew my speech was “different.”

I can remember my parents telling me toslow down, to think about what I had tosay before I said it. The sad fact was thateven when I thought about what I had tosay, and when I thought I was speakingslowly, people still had a hard time under-standing me. I was so used to hearing 20years of my own speech that I couldn’t hearthe difference between my speech and thatof others. The only thing I could hear wasthe irregular yet constant disfluencies whenI tripped over a word or a part of a word.For years, I heard people refer to my speechas “stuttered” and, therefore, I labeledmyself as a stutterer.As a teenager, I worked in fast-paced

minimum-wage environments. I had diffi-culties speaking to authority figures as wellas talking on the phone. I was constantlytold to speak more quietly, and “what?” and“huh?” became more frequent responsesfrom my listeners. At age 24, I realizedhow much I was letting my speech holdme back from better jobs and opportunities.I wanted to be a better communicator.I decided to start speech therapy.

Not a Stutterer, but a CluttererThat’s when I learned the truth. I was nota stutterer at all. I was a clutterer. Thesetwo diagnoses are sometimes misconstrued,perhaps because in the past a person whocluttered and a person who stuttered mayhave been placed in the same “stuttering”category, as cluttering does have somecharacteristics of stuttering.While stuttering is noted by rapid and

irregular repetitions, prolongations, block-ing, and secondary “escape” behaviors,cluttering is noted by excessive normaldisfluencies, rapid bursts of speech (“excitedspeech”), and slurred/omitted syllables.

Whereas stutterers can usually hear andfeel their speech disfluencies, clutterers areusually unaware, and therefore have a hardtime monitoring their speech.After my initial speech and language

evaluation, my SLP and I began to workon strategies to slow my speech rate andmake my speech more intelligible.Although I understood the point to theexercises, I didn’t appreciate their meaninguntil the day my SLP told me we were goingto record parts of the session and then playthe recordings back so that I could hearmyself talk. She taped our casual conversa-tions at the start of the session, and thenshe taped my reading samples using thestrategies that we were focusing on.

The Turning PointI heard how fast I spoke. I heard the missingparts of the words, the rapid speech, andI heard how strained my voice sounded atthe end of my sentences (because I spokeon residual air). Then we listened to therecordings of the reading samples. Thiswas the turning point in my speech therapy,because I heard the difference. I heard thepausing. I heard every sound in every word.I realized that I could talk more slowly, andI could be understood. All I had to do wastake these strategies and apply them toeveryday conversation.

These are the strategies that helped mespeak more clearly:

Self-monitoring: I needed to be able tohear my own speech rate as I was speakingand adjust my speech accordingly. If Icouldn’t hear myself omitting syllables or“cramming” words together, I wouldn’t besuccessful in stopping or preventing myselffrom cluttering. If I couldn’t feel my breathbecoming short, I couldn’t tell myself tostop talking and take a breath. If I couldn’tdiscriminate between my “fast” speech andmy “normal” speech, I wouldn’t be success-ful in carrying over my speech therapy intomy functional world. This is where theuncomfortable recordings of my voicehelped so much, because I was able to feelmyself speaking slower, and then I couldplay back and hear myself speak at a normalrate. There was a huge positive reinforce-ment when the correlation was discovered.

Breathing and pausing: Before therapy,I often tried to get all of my thoughts andwords into one breath, even if it meantsqueezing my lungs until I absolutely had tobreathe. This is called speaking on “residualair.” One of the first exercises in my therapywas based on pausing. As I read passages,I was told to take notice of how many timesI paused, and how many times I took abreath. As I became more aware of mypausing and breathing, I noticed that thosetimes gave me opportunities to slow myspeech rate. With every new pause, andevery new breath, I was able to start againwith a “fresh slate,” so that even if my lastphrase was rapid, that breath or pause wasa constant reminder to slow down. Justlearning the skill of pausing and breathingappropriately while speaking has made myspeech so much more intelligible, especiallybecause I use it as an opportunity to clearmy head of all the excess thoughts, and thinkabout what I need to say. If this means takingan extra long pause, it is a small price to payto prevent cluttered, unintelligible speech.

Confidential voice: Because my speechwas so hard to understand, my naturalresponse was to speak louder. In therapy, Ilearned how to speak using my “confidentialvoice.” Imagine being in a room of peopleand having a conversation with someone,but only wanting yourself and that personto hear what you are saying. To me, it feltlike just a little above whispering, and itwas a challenge to get used to. When I usedthis strategy, it took so much strain offof my vocal cords, and it made intonation,articulating, pausing, and a slow speechrate so much easier to carry out.

Intonation and word separation:Intonation was my best friend throughoutspeech; it was the only thing I could donaturally, and it helped with my intelligibility.Intonation helped separate my words fromeach other. It is natural in “normal” speechto string small words together like “it is, tothe, to do,” etc. As a clutterer, this normalcyjust makes it harder for listeners to under-stand my speech. Trying to separate themusing a glottal stop or pausing soundedunnatural, but by using intonation, I wasable to highlight some of those small wordsand separate them that way. An exercisethat proved helpful was taking a sentence

From a Clutterer: Strategies That HelpedBY LACEY HEID

www.WeStutter.org

CHANGING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WHO STUTTER 5

and reading through it, but each timeemphasizing a different word.

Elongating multi-syllabic words: In mycluttering experience, I attempted to makeevery word the same duration. I pronounceda one-syllable word like “art” in the sameamount of time I said a two-syllable wordsuch as “artist,” and likewise for three-syllablewords like “artistic.” Because I said longerwords in a shorter amount of time, differ-ent sounds (and sometimes whole syllables)got lost, making my speech difficult tounderstand. By stretching these words out,I got a perspective on just how long itshould take to say longer words. Myclinician provided a computer programthat recorded our speech sessions not onlyauditorally, but visually as well. I was ableto see my speech in sound wavelengths.My “slow” speech showed nicely patterned,rhythmic bumps that separated nicely withevery pause and waved smoothly througheach syllable in longer words. My “fast”speech was irregular, and spurts of bumpswere scattered through with no obviouspattern or consistency.

Exaggerated speech: Although thisexercise felt ridiculous at first and whenpaired with confidential speech was highlychallenging, it has helped me to dramaticallyimprove my articulation. My speech ratewas so fast, and I was so eager to get to thenext word in my sentence, that I deletedsounds and whole syllables in words.Exaggerated speech allowed me to exaggerateevery sound in a word. By opening my mouthwider, it forced my articulators to take longerto reach and execute, thus lengthening mytime spent on a single word. After spendingtime trying to pronounce every sound in aword appropriately, it feels more natural tospeak with the same concept, while missinga sound feels unnatural.

Continuous voicing: This has helped mesound more natural while speaking slowly.When I first started speech therapy, I wentfrom my normalcy of speaking at a fastrate with no pausing to the opposite sideof the spectrum – slow speech, articulation,pausing, breathing, etc. Separating my wordswas one of the hardest skills to learn, butit was so important for improving intelligi-bility. I tried to pause unnaturally betweenwords, and treat each word individually,

but my speech did not flow nicely using thatstrategy; although I was understandable, itfelt very uncomfortable. My clinician thensuggested continuous voicing, and that hasbeen my best strategy and ally in conversa-tion. The goal is to keep all of these otherpracticed strategies in mind, all whilecontinuously voicing throughout the entiresentence. This allows me to sound morenatural, all the while keeping a nicerhythm to my speech, allowing my wordsto be separate from one another withoutthe “choppy” feeling I had before.

Stressing unstressed syllables: This wasthe most challenging for me, but I used it tomy benefit. Many words and parts of wordshave a natural stress when vocalized. Forexample in the word “natural” the syllable“na” has the most emphasis, while thefollowing syllables “tur” and “al” tend to lagbehind it in an unstressed fashion. In theseexercises, I had to take those unstressedsyllables and read them with the sameemphasis as the other naturally stressedsyllables. This was difficult because it goesagainst the normal pattern of speech, butagain it helped me not to omit words or partsof words just because they are unstressed.

Rate: Knowing my rate helped me definewhat “normal” versus “fast” really means.My clinician worked hard to calculate myrate in given exercises for immediate feed-back, and these numerous references helpedme clarify how my speech rate comparedwith a normal speech rate. Having these

constant references helps me refer back toexamples both good and bad, and I can getthe literal “feeling” of a normal rate.I do not use all of these strategies all the

time. Some work better than others, andsometimes I take the few most appropriatefor the conversational situation I am in.The key is that a person has all of thesetools to their disposal, and he or she hearsthe differences when these strategies areapplied, versus just trying to “slow down.”I don’t know if I’ll ever gain 100% perfect

fluency, and it would be unreasonable tothink I should. Even normal speakers arenot perfectly fluent all the time. But sinceI started speech therapy, my intelligibility ismuch higher, and it shows in my listeners’reactions. There are fewer “what’s” and“huh’s,” and I don’t have to repeat myselfnearly as often. No one has made a remarkon how fast I talk. I haven’t felt out ofbreath from speaking on residual air inmonths. The hope and intention is that ifthese strategies are used enough, they willeventually become habits, and speaking willjust keep getting easier as time goes on. �

Lacey Heid graduated from Silver CreekCentral School in Silver Creek, NY. Sheattends SUNY College at Fredonia, whereshe is working on attaining a degree inCommunication Disorders and Sciences.Her future dream is to work toward adoctorate in the field, with particularinterests in aphasias and fluency disorders.

NEW Teachers’ BrochureTeachers ask their young students to read out loudto assess the children’s reading proficiency. But whena child stutters, the teacher may interpret repetitionsand blocks as a reading problem. A new brochurefrom the NSA alerts teachers to this problem andoffers tips on working with children who stutter.

Stuttering and Reading Fluency: Information forTeachers includes information on stuttering symptomsto help teachers determine whether stuttering isgetting in the way of reading and offers suggestionson how to test the reading ability of children whostutter. The brochure is available for download onthe NSA Web site (WeStutter.org) or by calling theNSA office at 800-WeStutter (937-8888).

Parents and speech-language pathologists areencouraged to share the brochure with teachers.Information in the brochure was contributed byKathleen Scaler Scott, PhD, CCC-SLP, BRS-FD, ofMisericordia University.

Stuttering and Reading Fluency:

Information for Teachers

nsNational

Stuttering Association

Changing the lives of people who stutter

Information in this booklet was contributed by Kathleen Scaler Scott, PhD, CCC-SLP,

BRS-FD (Misericordia University)

6 NATIONAL STUTTERING ASSOCIATION

www.WeStutter.org

Sorry, Anthony and Al!We didn’t include them in the articleabout award winners in the July-October conference issue of LETTINGGO. Now they get an extra-specialshowcase!

AnthonyRomano:“All Around GoodGuy” AwardEvery organizationneeds a “jack of alltrades” who can easily

step in and do any impromptu activi-ties, and it is virtually impossible toattend an NSA conference and not seeAnthony Romano. From working theregistration desk to his crackerjackabilities in keeping the auctions runningas crisply as possible, he has continuallygiven of himself without any expecta-tions. He is also the point person forany parents who have any questionsabout the conferences, from meetingroom locations to knowledge aboutthe day’s events. He is truly the type ofrepresentative that all associations needto have, and if by the rare chance NSAExecutive Director Tammy Flores is notthere, he is always available. It wastruly our honor to present him with thisaward and to let him know that we areso very proud of him. Individuals likeAnthony make the conference what itis! The Cleveland conference was hiseighth, and there will be many morein his future!

Al Thomas:Best DancerAwardThere are very fewpeople in this worldwho truly embracewhat it means to live

life to the fullest. Those who knowAl Thomas would certainly say that heis one who epitomizes what that state-ment means. Al has many titles he isvery proud of: future real estate agent,paralegal, clergy, but perhaps one ofthe most important is NSA member.Al is very accessible, and his truly

compassionate manner puts attendeesat ease. He has hosted several seminarsat our conferences, most recently“Passing Twice” with fellow NSAmember Larry Lindstrom from Newark,New Jersey. And Al is in his elementon the dance floor. One can onlyimagine what would be like for theother contestants on “Dancing Withthe Stars” to see the run for the moneyhe would give them! Congratulationson your award, Al — we look forwardto your wearing out the dance floor infuture conference cities!

NSA Took Stuttering toa BallgameOn Sunday, September 19 the NationalStuttering Association went to the Metsgame in Queens, New York. This NSAevent had 100 members, friends, andfamily in attendance. As advertisingplays an important role in spreadingthe word about stuttering and aware-ness about the NSA, you’ll be happy toknow that the NSA was advertised inbig, bright lights during the bottom ofthe 4th inning.

To paraphrase the NSA motto,anytime you feel like you are the onlyone who stutters, remember you arenot alone. The Mets game was a primeexample of not being alone. Old andnew friends were able to catch up andenjoy a beautiful afternoon at Citifield.Watching a Mets 6-3 defeat at thehands (and bats) of the Braves was asmall price to pay for spending timewith fellow stutterers and friends.

A special thank you to the Queenschapter of the NSA for planningthis event! All are welcome againnext year!

Don’t be afraid to be a Fruit Loopin a world of Cheerios. Stay strong,and stutter beautifully! � Nina Zito

Charlie Kirk Goes theDistance for the NSANSA member Charlie Kirk raised$3,320 for kids who stutter bycompleting the Ford Ironmantriathlon August 29 in Louisville,Kentucky. Swimming 2.4 miles,cycling 112 miles and runninga marathon of 26.2 miles in hot,humid weather was a toughchallenge, even for a formercaptain of his 1987 high schoolfootball team.

Charlie – who lives inDowningtown, Pennsylvania –sees a strong similarity betweencompeting in Ironman eventsand the internal struggle thatpeople who stutter face everyday. “I’m hoping that completingan Ironman triathlon will atleast demonstrate that anythingis possible,” he said. “Childrenhave their own ideas of whatis possible for them. I’m con-vinced that we all need tothink beyond our possibilitiesso we never set our success bartoo low.”

The NSA thanks Charlie andall the people who donated tohis fundraising campaign.

ODDS&ENDSFROM DAVID BLAZINA

www.WeStutter.org

Poem: ‘m-mmmme'BY JOHN H. HATCHER

j-j-john is how i say my name,i try not to sssstutter but it's always the same.ttthe simplest t-thing for others is the hardest for me,the f-fear that swells up i-i-inside tttrying t-to speak from point a to point bbb.f-frustration and helplessness i ffffeel d-d-day to day,ssstraining to p-physically produce my ttthoughts but sometimes can't s-s-say.dddrive-through, t-t-telephone and front-c-c-ounter are my mmmountains,iiif i were a wweaker person my t-t-tears could supply an ee-endless stream of fffountains."stuttering is a sign of genius", my father once spoke,but while speaking i g-g-get a block, ........... ..ttthose words turn to s-smoke.i'm tthankful to God for the ppprogress i've mmade,'twas only human i am and sometimes my hhope does fade.in the ddays i ff-feel bb-b-blue i should consider things could be www-worse,t-t--trying to turn a pp-perceived curse into a b-bbblessing is only sspiritually u-uu-unearthed.however, ppp-p-ity and wwweird f-f-facial e..e-expressions are not what i sseek,jj-j-just an u.......understanding that all of God's creatures are uu-u-unique.

John Hatcher is 26 years old and lives in Memphis, Tennessee. He’s employed with Banks, Finley,White & Company CPAs. John recently rejoined the NSA after first joining as a senior in college.

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Joining the record form already published for ages 18+, you can now assess the impact of stuttering on a child’s life too! Easy to read and complete questionnaire makes your fluency assessment, intervention, and progress monitoring much easier. Writing an IEP goal for reducing negative impact in the academic environment has never been easier. Even better, the student becomes a partner in the process. Order today… shipping in November!

Overall Assessment of the Speakers Experience of Stuttering

J. Scott Yaruss, PhD & Robert Quesal, PhDFacebook.com/SpeechandLanguage

As far the conference itself, get readyfor dynamic, informational, and movingworkshops, along with presentationsfrom a new panel of NSA All-Stars.Don’t forget the emotional closingceremony, where you might shed atear or two of joy, realizing what a greatconference you just experienced andwishing it could go on forever. And,of course, the closing banquet, whereeveryone is dressed to kill and ready todance the night away!The hotel is one of the largest and

most prestigious in the area. TheRenaissance Worthington is the onlyfour-star hotel in Fort Worth. Yourhotel room will be cosmopolitan yetmaintain the Southwestern charm ofTexas. All the amenities you want ata conference will be available, suchas plentiful conference space, fitnesscenter, indoor pool with hot tub, andhigh-speed Internet access, all servedwith southern hospitality.

**Early Bird rates are back!Book your room before April 1, 2011and the rate is $124 per night. Ratesafter April 1 will be $139 per night.Make plans to be there in Fort Worth

July 6–10, 2011 so you can leave saying“Yee-haw, don’t mess with Texas, andespecially, don’t mess with the NSA!”** Early Bird rate must be paid in

advance for all room nights and isnon-refundable (your credit card willbe charged within 1-3 business daysof making your reservation). �

CONFERENCE 2011 continued

The National Stuttering Association isconducting an online survey in collaborationwith Friends, the Association of YoungPeople Who Stutter, on the experienceof children, teens and young adults whostutter. If you are a parent or teen we inviteyou to participate.

Survey of Parents and TeensThe questionnaire should take about 15 minutes.

You will be asked about the impact of stuttering onyour (or your child’s) life, and about your experiencewith stuttering treatment and support. If you area speech-language pathologist we hope you willencourage parents of children to participate in thesurvey. Visit WeStutter.org for the survey link.

CHANGING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WHO STUTTER 7

119 W. 40th Street, 14th FloorNew York, NY 10018

800.937.8888 (WeStutter)212.944.4050 • 212.944.8244 fax

email: info@WeStutter.org

Non-Profit OrgU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 2367Richmond, VA

www.WeStutter.org

EditorSonya Kunkle, kunkles22@comcast.net

Art DirectorJanna Carter

Assistant EditorsBonnie WeissDavid Blazina

ProofreaderEric Ketchum

Phone212.944.4050800.WeStutter (937.8888)

Fax212.944.8244

E-mailinfo@WeStutter.org

Home Pagewww.WeStutter.org

LETTING GO is a forum for views andinformation about stuttering. The opinionsexpressed are those of the individualcontributors and not necessarily the opinionof the National Stuttering Association. TheNSA accepts no responsibility for the accuracyof any opinion or information provided byany contributor, nor do we endorse or rejectany therapeutic strategies, programs, ordevices mentioned in these pages.

©2010 National Stuttering Association.All rights reserved.

We report to you annually on “MoneyMatters” and are pleased to announce thatyour NSA continues to move forward on asound financial basis.

Our total revenue was up slightly thisyear. This includes your new and renewalmembership fees, “Change for the Better”monthly contributions, donations from theperiodic fund raising drives, revenue fromour annual conference and workshops, salesof merchandise and books, and a few otheritems. It also includes donations that aredesignated for a specific purpose. Theserestricted funds are mainly used to providefinancial assistance to our members andtheir families who would otherwise notbe able to attend our annual conference,providing a special opportunity to partici-pate in this life changing experience.On the expense side, we compare very

favorably to other non-profit charitableorganizations in that only 5% of ourexpense dollars are associated with fundraising. Of course most of our outgoingfunds, 87% of the total, go to ProgramServices that directly benefit people whostutter and their families – including theannual conference and workshops, ouroutstanding publications LETTING GO andFamily Voices (now issued as a singlenewsletter), our new brochures for teachersand educators on childhood stuttering,continuing improvements to our Web siteand, of course, the expense of the personnelwho bring these services and benefits toour members, their families, and others in

the stuttering community. The remaining8% is categorized as Administrative,routine expenses necessary to maintainour efficient organization.We sincerely appreciate what you have

done over the years to support theNational Stuttering Association and trustthat you will continue to support gener-ously our very special NSA family. Thereare so many ways to do so – we particularlyencourage signing up for the Change forthe Better program, where each monthan amount you select is donated to NSAthrough your credit card. I do this, and I canvouch for it being a painless and efficientway to support your favorite charity. Thismethod of support is particularly beneficialto the NSA staff – as many of our expensesare monthly it helps to have an offsettingreliable monthly income flow.We also have the ability to receive

donations of stock – transferring stockwhich has appreciated in value over theyears is very likely your most tax efficientmethod of supporting the NSA – we urgeyou to consider this form of support. And,while nobody likes to think about it, wewould be honored if you could considerthe NSA in your estate planning process.We welcome inquiries at the NSA office

in New York regarding the various ways tosupport NSA, as well as any requests foradditional financial information. �

Bill Smith is an NSA board member andtreasurer has been an NSA member since2000. He lives in Riverwoods, Illinois.

Happy Holidays!On behalf of the NSA board of directors,Ernie Canadeo, Bill Smith, Barry Liben,Cathy Olish, Marybeth Allen,Stephanie Coppen, Sheryl Hunter,Mitch Trichon, Stephanie Nicolai,Jim McClure, Tracey Wallace, VivianSisskin, Marc Rosenbaum, JohnTetnowski and our staff, Tammy Flores,Sarah D’Agostino, and Melissa Lopez,we wish you and your loved ones ahealthy and happy holiday season!

MONEYMATTERSBY BILL SMITH