Experts Gather at Oxford

Sept. 2011 — St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, was the perfect setting for numerous outstanding presentations by experts in the field.

The Stuttering Foundation provided continuing education credits for the conference, which was sponsored by the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children, endorsed by De Montfort University, Leicester, and organized by Elsevier.

“The Stuttering Foundation was able to film several speakers in the hopes that therapists from around the world would profit from viewing their presentations,” said Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation.

Joseph Donaher’s presentation on ADHD was the first to be produced and has already been received with enthusiasm by speech-language pathologists as well as by parents.

“Because a growing number of children are being diagnosed with ADHD, therapists working with these children are facing new challenges,” said Donaher. In the film, he answers questions and shares charts and guidelines that will help to meet these challenges.

The second film now available features Martin Sommer, M.D., who discusses the neurophysiology of stuttering. During his presentation, Dr. Sommer gives an overview of essential neurophysiological findings that improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of stuttering.

Other professionals filmed included Nan Bernstein Ratner, who spoke on evidence-based practice; Willie Botterill, who discussed truths learned from the long history of speech pathology; and Ann Packman, who spoke about the complex relationship between theory and therapy in stuttering. The consensus from attendees was that this was one of the most successful conferences ever held.

-From the Winter 2012 Newsletter

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Bob Love

Bob Love has dreamt about being a great public speaker since his early days in Bastrop Louisiana, even though, as a young man, he could barely put two words together, let alone speak a full sentence.

In spite of his severe stuttering disability, Bob Love, the son of a sharecropper, rose to become a Chicago Bulls NBA superstar, whose records were eventually surpassed by Michael Jordan. Throughout his entire athletic career, Bob Love kept his stuttering a secret from the fans who adored him, thinking he could do his “talking” on the basketball court.

Alan Rabinowitz

Alan Rabinowitz, Ph.D., who passed away in 2018, was an explorer, wildlife conservationist, and author. He established the Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve in northern Myanmar, which is about the size of the state of Vermont.

His love for animals began when he was very young.

Carly Simon

Carly Simon began stuttering severely when she was eight years old.

Frank Wolf

This Virginian congressman has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1981. The longtime supporter of the Stuttering Foundation drew national attention to childhood stuttering in 2006 when he submitted an article about Tiger Woods from the SFA newsletter to the Congressional Record. The congressman is featured in the Stuttering Foundation's Famous People Who Stutter brochure.

Byron Pitts

Byron Pitts has brought much attention to stuttering with his memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges, released in September, 2009. The book not only details his speech difficulties, but also his illiteracy until age 12 and his unstable family life. Pitts overcame the odds to become the chief national correspondent with ABC News.