NIH Research Study on Stuttering

Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH Clinical Center

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Researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) are studying

DEVELOPMENTAL FLUENCY DISORDERS

Purpose of these research studies:

Determine if brain organization in children and adults who stutter is different from children and adults without a fluency disorder
Determine if brain organization changes occurring across development are different in children who stutter compared to children who do not stutter
Determine what areas of the brain are associated with fluent speech and disfluent speech in children and adults who stutter

You may qualify if

You are between 6 and 65 years of age,
You have been having fluency problems (stuttering) for more than six months
You are right-handed
You are a native monolingual speaker of American English
You have permission of one of your parents to participate in this study if you are less than 18 years old

You may not qualify if

You are taking medications affecting the central nervous system
You have a history of a neurological, hearing, or language disorder/delay
You have implanted metal objects or foreign bodies
You are pregnant or planning to become pregnant

Place and Time

This outpatient study is located in the Clinical Center at the NIH, Bethesda campus and lasts for a period of 2-4 days for approximately 3-4 hours each day.

Cost

Persons admitted for study will have their hotel and travel expenses paid by NIH for the duration of their involvement.?ÿ Participants will also receive compensation for their time and inconvenience.

For more information, please call or write:

(301) 402-0482 or (301) 496-9365

Ask to speak to Dr. Soo-Eun Chang

(re: protocol 00-N-0095)

E-Mail:?ÿ changsoo@ninds.nih.gov

Soo-Eun Chang, Ph.D., NINDS, NIH, Building 10, Room 5D38, 10 Center Drive MSC 1416, Bethesda, MD 20892-1416.?ÿ Fax: (301) 480-0803

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Bob Love

The late Bob Love 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.

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.

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

Carly Simon

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

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.