Stuttering Treatment Program

Sir Alexander Ewing - Speech and Hearing Clinic
Ithaca College Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 274-3714

Doug Cross, Ph.D.
Department of Speechn-Language Pathology and Audiology
Ithaca College, Ithaca NY 14850

   
Introduction: This link presents information about the fluency disorders treatment program at the Sir Alexander Ewing - Speech and Hearing Clinic at Ithaca College. The program was developed and is currently run by Doug Cross, Ph.D., a full time academic faculty member in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology for the past twenty years. Dr. Cross has over thirty years experience evaluating and treating fluency disorders in children, adolescents, and adults. The fluency treatment program is based on a "systems" model which emphasizes the importance of how thoughts, emotions, fluid movement, and effective adjustment strategies interact in effective and natural communication. Focus of attention is placed on enhancing the feeling of "fluid" speech movement and making natural and effective adjustments to disruptions. Developing the ability to attend to and shape natural and fluid speech under conditions of performance stress are principle components of the treatment program. The concept of communication "success" is multidimensional and ofen varies among clients, depending on their particular communication patterns and needs. Both evaluation and treatment services are availble on an outpatient basis to faculty, students, staff, and the general public. Dr. Cross also treats clients on a private basis.
Understanding the Stuttering Response The Systems Approach is a model for understanding and describing how different components of the human "system" naturally interact to disrupt fluid speech and the physical, emotional, and cognitive features often associated with the stuttering disorder. Emphasis is placed on understanding the natural progression of the stuttering response and factors that influence both effective and ineffective communication.

Evaluation of Fluency and Fluency Disorders (Currently under revision). The Ewing Speech and Hearing Clinic offers fluency evaluation for clients of all ages. This link provides an overview of rationale and procedures used to assess fluency and fluency disorders. This includes broad and narrow goals for assessing the speech, arousal, attitudinal, and adjustment features of the client's communication pattern. Procedures for developing a "fluency index" and analyzing speaking rate are included. In addition, procedures and original rating scales for describing and quantifying movement characteristics of fluid speech are introduced. A Fluency Profile is introduced as an aid in helping the clinician identify features of the client's communication patterns that are characteristic of stuttering and to aid in developing target goals in therapy.

Treatment for Stuttering (SAST) Treatment for stuttering and fluency disorders is available for clients of all ages. The treatment program is based on an integrated model of human behavior and communication. The ultimate goal is to help the client, through a fundamental understanding of communication and their specific communication patterns, learn to communicate in the most effective manner possible given any limitations of their own speech abilities and the situation at hand. Attention is given to fundamentals of fluid speech movement, as well as the roles of thought and emotion in one's ability to attend to and produce the most natural and effective communication possible. Rationale, goals, and methods, and description of "progress" at each of five phases of therapy are outlined.

Description and Analysis of Speech Fluency and "Fluidity" (Currently under revision) This section will outline a "segmental" model for describing speech fluency and a "dynamic" model for defining, describing, evaluating, and quantifying speech "fluidity". Attention is given to the pros and cons of the more traditional "segmental" approach to describing fluency and it's counterpart, disfluency. An alternative method, focusing on describing the parameters and features of "fluid" movement is introduced. Analogies between fluidity of speech and non-speech behaviors are provided. Analysis and rating procedures/forms for both segmental and non-segmental features of speech fluency and fluidity can be found via the link Evaluation of Fluency and Fluency Disorders

Personal Research in Fluency and Stuttering Specific references to articles and presentations are provided, including along abstracts of experimental questions, results, and interpretations.