The Foundation is turning its attention more and more to various facets of basic research.

Brain Research

Neuroimaging studies have greatly enhanced the potential to understand brain-behavior relationships in complex behaviors such as speech and language. Research efforts are expanding and may lead to earlier detection of individuals at risk for developmental stuttering. The Foundation is promoting this research in various ways.

Genetic Research

Finding the genes involved in stuttering and understanding what they do in people who stutter and in those who are normally fluent holds the promise of revealing some of the underlying causes of stuttering.

The following articles may be of interest:

What is Stuttering?

A Close Look at the Actual Speech Disruptions By Per A. Alm, Ph.D.

Stuttering: Why we need a broader view to help children (and adults) who stutter

By Nan Bernstein Ratner, Ed.D., University of Maryland, College Park

Differences in the Brains of People Who Stutter

By Kate Watkins, Ph.D., St. Anne's College, University of Oxford

Future Research and Clinical Directions in Stuttering: Global Considerations

By Ehud Yairi, Ph.D., University of Illinois and Tel Aviv University

It's Not Stuttering, But What Is It?

By Kyra Swick, Vivian Sisskin, M.S., and Nan Bernstein Ratner, Ed.D., University of Maryland, College Park (Winter 2016)

The Evidence Is In — One Size Does Not Fit All

By Marie-Christine Franken, Ph.D., Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Fall 2015)

My client isn't fluent – but is it stuttering?

Atypical Disfluency - Part 2 By Vivian Sisskin, M.S., and Nan Bernstein Ratner, Ed.D. University of Maryland In the last column, we began to tackle the increasingly reported cases of children who are referred for "stuttering," but whose fluency profiles do not comfortably fit conventional definitions. We started by discussing children who seem to have language formulation problems, rather than

This Child Isn't Fluent — Is It Stuttering Or Something Else?

By Nan Bernstein Ratner, Ed.D., University of Maryland (Winter 2015)

Stress & Stuttering

By Nan Bernstein Ratner, Ed.D., University of Maryland (Fall 2014)

But Wait, There's More (not to like about Reilly et al. study)

Also see First Year of Stuttering by Ehud Yairi, Ph.D. This column is in response to an article published in Pediatrics titled Natural History of Stuttering to 4 Years of Age reporting a study conducted in Australia by Reilly, Onslow, Packman, et al. (2013). By Nan Bernstein Ratner, Ed.D., University of Maryland I would like to offer a distinctly different

Update from Purdue

By Christine Weber-Fox, Ph.D. and Anne Smith, Ph.D. (Summer 2014)

First Year of Stuttering

Also see But Wait, There's More by Nan Bernstein Ratner, Ed.D. By Ehud Yairi, Ph.D. University of Illinois and Tel Aviv University An article entitled Natural History of Stuttering to 4 years of age reporting a study conducted in Australia by Reilly, Onslow, Packman, et al. (2013), was recently published in the journal Pediatrics and has caused an unusual wave

New Assessment Tool for Use with Parents

By Sharon Millard Ph.D. (Fall 2013)

Brain Development in Stuttering

By Deryk S. Beal, Ph.D. (Winter 2013)

Is Language a Risk Factor in Stuttering?

By Ehud Yairi, Ph.D., Emeritus Faculty, University of Illinois A person's stuttering is not random. Linguistic factors have been considered relevant to stuttering especially since early research (Brown, 1937, 1945) demonstrated their strong influence on the occurrence of stuttering events, or "moments of stuttering," in specific locations of the speech stream (e.g., the beginning of sentences and phrases) and in

Advances in Our Understanding of Adult Neurogenic Stuttering

By Luc De Nil, Ph.D., and Catherine Theys, M.Sc. (Summer 2012)

Surprising Pathway Implicated in Stuttering

By Stuart A. Kornfeld, M.D. (Winter 2012)

Using Brain Imaging to Unravel the Mysteries of Stuttering

by Soo-Eun Chang, Ph.D. (Aug. 23, 2011)

Brain Development in Children Who Stutter

Sex differences in brain development underlying recovery versus persistence in developmental stuttering By Soo-Eun Chang, Ph.D.Michigan State UniversityWinter 2011 It is well known that stuttering occurs in many more males than in females, but we know very little about what might be the basis for such skewed sex ratio in stuttering. In children who have just started to stutter, we

Feedforward Strategy In Children

Investigating the use of a feedforward motor strategy in the speech of children who stutter Rick Arenas, M.A.Doctoral Candidate, University of IowaFall 2010 There are two primary strategies that people use when performing any sort of motor task, including speech: feedback and feedforward. Feedback relies on moment-to-moment sensory awareness of system output so that ongoing operations can be altered to

Neurobiology of Stuttering: Are There Distinct Subtypes?

By Anne L. Foundas, M.D. (Winter 2010)

Childhood Stuttering

by Hayley S. Arnold, Ph.D., Purdue University (Fall 2009)

Introduction to Cognitive Therapy

by Jane Fry, MSc (Psych Couns)., Dip CT (Oxon), Michael Palin Centre (Fall 2009)

The Impact of ADHD on Stuttering Therapy

By Joseph Donaher, Ph.D.,The Center for Childhood Communication, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia From the Stuttering Foundation's Summer 2009 newsletter. The role of genetic factors in the onset and maintenance of stuttering has received considerable attention. Multiple studies have shown that stuttering runs in families and that approximately 70% of the variance in liability to stutter can be accounted for

Research on Electronic Devices: Preliminary Results

By Anne L. Foundas, M.D., and Edward G. Conture, Ph.D. From the Stuttering Foundation's Summer 2009 newsletter. Developmental stuttering has a lifetime incidence (i.e., percentage of adults who stuttered at some point) of nearly 5% and is one of the more common developmental speech disorders. Although the disorder significantly impacts the academic, emotional, social and vocational achievements, development and potential

Clinical Trials and Cognitive Therapy

By Susan Block, Ph.D.Winter 2009 Social anxiety (i.e. anxiety arising in social encounters) cannot be overlooked in the management of chronic stuttering. The evidence for a relationship between anxiety and stuttering is considerable. Adults who stutter have reported high levels of trait, state, and social anxiety on standard measurement instruments (Hancock & Craig, 1998; Kraaimaat, Janssen, & Vandambaggen, 1991). Those

New Look at Stuttering and Emotions

By Edward G. Conture, Ph.D.Vanderbilt UniversityFall 2008 We are grateful to the SFA for providing us this space to tell you about the progress of Vanderbilt 's Developmental Stuttering Project. In an inter-disciplinary collaboration with a developmental psychologist, Dr. Tedra Walden, and support from NIH 's National Institute on Deafness and Other Commun ication Disorders, we have been studying emot

New Research from Purdue

by Anne Smith, Ph.D. (Summer 2008)

Temperament Can Underlie "Signature Strengths" in Children Who Stutter

By Patricia M. Zebrowski, Ph.D.University of Iowa From the Stuttering Foundation's 2008 summer newsletter A number of years ago, I became interested in the study of 'Positive Psychology' (Seligman, 2002 ) as it may be applied to helping children who stutter and their parents uncover and appreciate the strengths they bring to the therapy experience, strengths that likely play a

Communication disorders and temperament

An article about Dr. Jerome Kagan's seminar, The Nature of Human Temperament, by Lisa Scott, Ph.D. (Winter 2008)

Research in Pakistan moves forward

by Dennis Drayna, Ph.D. (Winter 2008)

Atypical cerebral laterality: Neural Risk for Stuttering?

By Anne L. Foundas, M.D.Tulane University Health Sciences Center From the Stuttering Foundation's winter 2008 newsletter Editor's note: The Stuttering Foundation is pleased to support Dr. Foundas'new research. Atypical cerebral laterality was proposed as a potential central defect in developmental stuttering in 1927 when Orton wrote that stuttering may be the result of incomplete cerebral dominance. Support for this early

Neurological Incidents May Cause stuttering

By Per Alm, Ph.D.Lund University, Sweden,and The Stuttering Information Center of Denmark From the Stuttering Foundation's winter 2008 newsletter Several studies of heredity and genetics have shown that genes play an important role in the causal background of stuttering. In addition, these studies have shown that non-genetic factors also play a significant role. The nature of these non-genetic factors has

Recent study reports on SpeechEasy use within extra-clinical environments

by Ryan Pollard, John B. Ellis, M.S., Don Finan, Ph.D., and Peter R. Ramig, Ph.D. (Fall 2007)

Searching For Predictors of Chronic Stuttering

Anne Smith, Ph.D.Purdue University From the Stuttering Foundation's 2007 fall newsletter I am pleased to have this opportunity to update you on the progress of the Purdue Stuttering Project over the past year. You may recall from my earlier article that we are engaged in a longitudinal study of young children who stutter and their normally fluent controls. With funding

Auditory Cortex, Altered Auditory Feedback and Developmental Stuttering

by Anne L. Foundas, M.D., and Edward G. Conture, Ph.D. (Fall 2007)

Is stuttering characterized by subtypes?

Ehud Yairi, Ph.D.University of IllinoisSummer 2007 With few exceptions, every entity in the universe can find its place within a system of classification. These have an important role in the organization and enhancement of knowledge. Although certain features of stuttering are relatively consistent, such as the age at onset of the disorder and the presence of certain core speech disfluencies

Is Language A Risk Factor in Stuttering?

By Ehud Yairi, Ph.D., University of IllinoisFall 2006 A person's stuttering is not random. Linguistic factors have been considered relevant to stuttering especially since early research (Brown, 1937, 1945) demonstrated their strong influence on the occurrence of stuttering events, or 'moments of stuttering," in specific locations of the speech stream (e.g., the beginning of sentences and phrases) and in words

New Windows on Stuttering Onset

By Anne Smith, Ph.D., Purdue UniversityFall 2006 In July of this year, I was honored to be a keynote speaker at the meeting of International Fluency Association in the wonderful city of Dublin, Ireland. In my talk, "Physiological Indices of Speech and Language Processes: New Windows on the Onset of Stuttering in Young Children," I reviewed some of the accomplishments

Genetics of Stuttering: New Developments

By Ehud Yairi, Ph.D., University of IllinoisSummer 2006 For a long period, information on the familiality of stuttering was primarily based on data concerning the percent of people who stutter having relatives with histories of stuttering. This figure has varied from 20% to 74%. Although it is apparent that stuttering runs in families, this fact, in-and-by itself, is insufficient to

New Light on Genetic Factors

By Dennis Drayna, Ph.D., NIDCDSummer 2006 Studies in Pakistan over the past few years have added new impetus to research on genetic factors in stuttering. Research at the National Institutes of Health has recently identified a specific location for a gene that seems to be an important contributor to stuttering in this population. Scientists have found that this gene resides

Age is among the strongest risk

by Ehud Yairi, Ph.D., University of Illinois (Winter 2006)

Stuttering and The Basal Ganglia

by Per Alm, Ph.D., University of Alberta (Winter 2006)

Genetic and Neurological Factors in Stuttering

By Lisa Scott, Ph.D., The Florida State UniversityWinter 2006 In November, four of the leading scientists in stuttering presented their latest research at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association convention in San Diego. Participating in a session entitled, 'Genetic and Neurological Correlates of Stuttering," were Drs. Dennis Drayna, NIDCD, Christine Weber-Fox, Purdue University, Ann Foundas, Tulane University, and Gerald Maguire, University of

Newly Discovered Families Give Impetus to Genetics Research

By Dennis Drayna, Ph.D.Fall 2005 Recent research in Cameroon, West Africa, has uncovered the existence of an entire group of previously unknown families in which stuttering occurs as a simple inherited trait. Through the cooperation of the Speak Clear Association of Cameroon (SCAC) and the Stuttering Home Page maintained at Mankato State University, researchers had previously identified a single Cameroonian

On the Gender Factor in Stuttering

By Ehud Yairi, Ph.D., University of IllinoisFall 2005 Gender is one of the strongest predisposing factors for stuttering in that the disorder affects many more males than females. In older children and adults the male-to-female ratio is large, about 4 to 1 or greater (Craig, et al., 2002). Except for the higher incidence, until recently no major gender differences, either

Research on Incidence and Prevalence of Stuttering

by Ehud Yairi, Ph.D., University of Illinois (Summer 2005)

Speaking Is No Small Task

by Anne Smith, Ph.D., Purdue University (Summer 2005)

DAF in Stuttering: A Potential Anatomical Link

by Anne L. Foundas, MD (Winter 2005)

Stuttering Foundation Hails New Research

Scientists find evidence for gene that predisposes individuals to stuttering. (Fall 2003)

Delayed Auditory Feedback

Summer 2003 (American Academy of Neurology-) Researchers in New Orleans have identified a subset of stutterers that may benefit most from delayed auditory feedback (a technique by which the original acoustic speech signal is artificially modified and then fed back via headphones). Findings of their study were presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Honolulu in April

Medical Aspects of Stuttering

Glyndon Riley, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus California State University, Fullerton Summer 2002 If a medication is developed that is useful for people who stutter, it will not be a "cure" that can work in the absence of other forms of therapy. There is a rationale for including some medical aspects of stuttering in our diagnosis and treatment protocols, but not for

Recent Developments

By Dennis Drayna, PhDNational Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of HealthWinter 2002 Stuttering has long been known to cluster in families, and much evidence has accumulated that genetic factors help cause stuttering in some cases. However, the lack of clear inheritance patterns in stuttering has made genetic studies slow and difficult. A new study recently published

Are the Brains of People Who Stutter Different?

By Anne L. Foundas, MD, Summer 2001Tulane University For the past four years, our research group has been interested in learning more about the biological basis of stuttering. In earlier studies, our group and others have found that specific brain regions that mediate speech, language and motor functions are asymmetric or larger in one hemisphere than the other, and the

Alprazolam, Citalopram, and Clomipramine for Stuttering

A Study by Dr. John Paul Brady (Fall 2000)

Neural Bases of Stuttering and its Treatment

An article by Robert Kroll and Luc F. De Nil. (Summer 2000)

Research Studies Interaction of Language and Motor Processing in Stuttering

A new and exciting look at stuttering in relation to language and motor processing by Anne Smith, Ph.D., Purdue University. (Winter 1999-2000)

Treating Coexisting Stuttering, Language, and Phonology Disorders

If your child has been in speech therapy for a problem other than stuttering but has begun to stutter, you should read the article by Nancy E. Hall, Ph.D. (Winter 1999-2000)

Research in Early Childhood Stuttering

by Ehud Yairi. (Winter 1999-2000)

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