About the experts (in alphabetic order by last name):
 Nan Bernstein Ratner is Professor, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park. She is a Fellow and Honors recipient of the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA). In 2014, she was made a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Her primary areas of research are fluency development and disorder (stuttering), psycholinguistics and the role of adult input and interaction in child language development. The author of numerous research articles, chapters and edited texts, she is the co-author of A Handbook on Stuttering (6th ed) with the late Oliver Bloodstein, as well as The Development of Language (7th ed) and Psycholinguistics (2nd ed.), both with Jean Berko Gleason. She is a Board-recognized Specialist in Child Language Disorders. In 2006, Professor Bernstein Ratner received the Distinguished Researcher award from the International Fluency Association. She currently serves as its President-Elect.In 2016, Dr. Bernstein Ratner was named Professional of the Year by the National Stuttering Association.
With Brian MacWhinney of Carnegie-Mellon University, Dr. Ratner manages FluencyBank, a project of TalkBank (www.Talkbank.org). This initiative will track fluency development in typical children, those who stutter, late-talking children and children raised bilingually. In addition, FluencyBank seeks to archive and facilitate sharing of data relevant to fluency research. |
 Paul Blanchet, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders at Baylor University. He is a certified speech-language pathologist, as well as a person who stutters. Dr. Blanchet earned in his Ph.D. in Communication Disorders from Louisiana State University in 2002. His current research examines university students’ perceptions of and physiological responses to speakers who stutter.Dr. Blanchet has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and serves as an editorial consultant for several peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Fluency Disorders, Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, and American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. He has presented at over 100 regional, state, national, and international conferences, including the 11th Oxford Dysfluency Conference in September of 2017. Dr. Blanchet also co-founded the Baylor University Stuttering Support Group in 2015. |
 Rob Dellinger, M.S., CCC-SLP, is an elementary school speech-language pathologist in the Wake County (N.C.) Public School System. Mr. Dellinger serves as fluency consultant for his district, helping colleagues to navigate through ongoing challenges within the evaluation and treatment process for children who stutter. Mr. Dellinger is active in the local National Stuttering Association chapter and presents workshops on stuttering evaluation and treatment. Mr. Dellinger, a person who stutters, lives in Raleigh, N.C., with his wife and two daughters. |
 David Evans, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Western Washington University where he conducts research, teaches courses, and provides therapy and clinical supervision in the area of stuttering. He earned his B.A. from University of Colorado-Boulder, his M.A. from the University of Maine, and his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. David is a person who stutters, a member of the International Fluency Association, a member of ASHA’s Special Interest Group for Fluency and Fluency Disorders, and serves as the chapter leader for the Bellingham chapter of the National Stuttering Association. His research interests include how people who do and do not stutter perceive stuttering, and relations between social-emotional factors and speech motor control. |
 Rodney Gabel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-F, is a Professor at the University of Toledo. He teaches courses in stuttering and directs the Northwest Ohio Stuttering Clinics, which supports two intensive clinics. Dr. Gabel has published more than 50 articles and presented nearly 100 presentations at international, national, and state conferences. To meet the growing needs of stuttering in greater Northwest Ohio and South East Michigan, Dr. Gabel opened the Gabel Center for Stuttering Therapy LLC, a clinic serving only people who stutter. In addition, Dr. Gabel is beginning work as the Authorized Project Administrator and lead clinician with the Global Development Group and African Stuttering Center. This project will offer specialized stuttering services and training in Rwanda, where there are limited services for people who stutter. |
 Brent Gregg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP completed his doctoral work at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, specializing in early childhood stuttering, under the direction of Dr. Ehud Yairi. Currently, Dr. Gregg serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Central Arkansas and as director of the UCA Stuttering Clinic. He also serves as the co-director of the Arkansas Consortium for the Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders. He is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA) Special Interest Division in Fluency Disorders and is involved with the Stuttering Foundation of America. Dr. Gregg has spent time at the Michael Palin Centre in London, England and Oxford University as a visiting researcher and conference presenter. Most recently, Dr. Gregg partnered with Vanderbilt University and the Stuttering Foundation of America to offer a webinar on issues related to parent counseling and pediatric stuttering. Currently, Dr. Gregg is researching the role of resiliency in the adolescent who stutters. |
 Heather Grossman, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-F has worked with children and adults who stutter for over 25 years and was among the first select group of speech-language pathologists to receive board recognition as a specialist in the treatment of fluency disorders from ASHA. She has been the Director of the American Institute for Stuttering (AIS) in NYC since 2011. Dr. Grossman is extremely active in the stuttering self-help community. She is a frequent presenter at conferences of the National Stuttering Association and FRIENDS – the National Association of Young People who Stutter as well as national and international professional conferences. Before joining AIS, she was the speech services coordinator at Hofstra University and an adjunct professor at Long Island University, Mercy College, and Queens College. She received her doctorate degree in 2008 at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she researched aspects of the phenomenon of voluntary stuttering. |
 Kirsten Howells. After a varied career history, Kirsten was inspired to become a Speech & Language Therapist following her own experiences with covert stammering and speech therapy. Qualifying from University College London, she has worked in the UK’s National Health Service and has also spent several years working in a specialist service in Norway, providing evaluation, information and therapy for people who stammer and clutter, as well as supervision and workshops for their therapists. She has been involved in several research projects related to therapies for stammering, has contributed chapters to a book about stammering for Norwegian speech therapists, and was co-chair of the organising team for the collaborative One World, Many Voices: Science and Community congress, held in Japan earlier this year. Kirsten has recently returned to the UK, where she now has an independent practice, specialising in stammering and cluttering.Kirsten is a chatterbox who loves reading, podcasts, and hiking. |
 Dan Hudock, Ph.D., Certificate of Clinical Competence of Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP), is an Associate Professor at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho, USA. As a person who stutters himself, he is very passionate about fluency disorders and helping those with fluency disorders. One aspect of his research interests is in exploring effective collaborations between Speech-Language Pathologists and Mental Health Professionals for the treatment of people who stutter. He is also Director of the Northwest Center for Fluency Disorders, which hosts a two-week interprofessional intensive clinic that uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). For more information about research, clinical, or support opportunities please visit http://www.northwestfluency.org/. |
 Jaimie (Hannan) Michise. Jaime has been a speech-language pathologist for the past eight years. She began her career at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she was an active member of the fluency team. Recently, Jaime spent two years living and working in Nagoya, Japan. In addition to working with children and families in the international community, Jaime studied Japanese and was able to experience firsthand the challenges that can accompany communication difficulties. Jaime now lives in Dallas, Texas where she teaches adjunctly at the University of North Texas and has a private practice working with people who stutter. Additionally, she continues to work with children and families internationally. Jaime has presented at international, national, state, and local conferences and has published on the topic of stuttering and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Jaime has also been involved with Camp Shout Out for Youth who Stutter for the past eight years. |
 Gunars Neiders, Ph.D. Elec. Eng., Psy. D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Washington State, USA. and consulting psychologist American Institute for Stuttering (AIS). He is the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy of Stuttering (REBTS) and has been practicing it for over 8 years with emphasis on teletherapy (using Skype and Zoom). He authored the book “From Stuttering to Fluency: Manage Your Emotions and Live More Fully” and his dissertation “Theoretical Development of a Proposed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Based Model to Treat Persons with Chronic Perseverative Stuttering Syndrome”. His publications include “Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy of Stuttering via Skype: Case Series Studies” presented at the International Fluency Association 8th World Congress in Lisbon, Portugal, July 6-8, 2015 and “Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy of Stuttering: Theory and Teletherapy Techniques” at International Fluency Association 2018 World Congress: Hiroshima, Japan. |
 Charlie Osborne is a clinical associate professor at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. He teaches the fluency disorders class and mentors graduate students working with people who stutter and their families. Charlie has worked with people who stutter for over 30 years. He is a NSA Adult Chapter Leader. |
 Scott Palasik has been a Certified Speech-Language Pathologist for fifteen years. He’s an Assistant Professor at the University of Akron (UA) where he teacher graduate Fluency Disorders course (on campus and distance learning), Voice Disorders and Cleft Palate, and Support Systems for Families and Individuals with Communication Disorders, along with supervising graduate students in clinical Education. He also is the director of the Mindfulness ACT Somatic Stuttering Lab, and performs research with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), unconscious and conscious attitudes about stuttering, and environmental and social effects pertaining to dysphagia. He has presented at many local, regional, state, and national conventions about mindfulness and ACT. He has been a member of the ACBS (Association of Contextual Behavioral Sciences) for eight years and is the President of the Ohio ACBS Chapter. He is also the co-founder of the UA Campus walk for Suicide Prevention. |
 Erik Raj, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Supervisor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. His research focuses on exploring computer and Internet technologies and its implementation to speech-language therapy and education. |
 Kathleen Scaler Scott, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at Misericordia University and a Board Certified Specialist in Fluency Disorders. She has been a practicing clinician for 24 years in hospital, school, and private practice settings. Dr. Scaler Scott has authored and co-authored several articles and book chapters on the topic of fluency disorders. She is co-editor of the textbook, Cluttering: A handbook of research, intervention, and education, and of the treatment manual Managing Cluttering: A comprehensive guidebook of activities, both with Dr. David Ward. She is author of the forthcoming book, Fluency Plus: Managing Fluency Disorders in Individual with Multiple Diagnoses. A certified special education and elementary school teacher, Dr. Scaler Scott was the first Coordinator of the International Cluttering Association. |
 Lynne Shields, Ph.D. CCC-SLP, BCS-F, taught at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri for 37 years. As a professor in the Communication Disorders and Deaf Education department, she.taught courses in fluency disorders and counseling, supervised in the on-campus clinic and served as graduate program director. While recently retired from teaching, she continues to see children and adults who stutter in her private practice. She is a board-certified specialist in fluency disorders. |
 Hilda Sønsterud is a speech and language pathologist (SLP) in Oslo, Norway. She works at Statped, Department for speech and language disorders, and she is a PhD-fellow at the University of Oslo. Hilda works primarily with treatment and clinical research related to stuttering and cluttering. She runs courses within the field of stuttering and cluttering, and she provides clinical practice for SLPs and SLP students. For the time being, she is also doing her PhD-project at the University of Oslo, Department of Psychology. The project involves a collaboration between the Norwegian Association for stuttering and cluttering, Statped, the University of Oslo, and the University of Reading. The project is a clinical treatment study, focusing on individualized therapy for adults who stutter. Hilda is a national representative in the International Cluttering Association. |
John Tetnowski is the Ben Blanco Endowed Professor in Communicative Disorders at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. He has published over 70 papers that have appeared in journals, book chapters, and proceedings papers with a concentration on fluency disorders and research designs. He has delivered over 200 presentations at state, regional, national and international conferences on five continents. In addition to his research career, Dr. Tetnowski is an active clinician who treats children and adults who stutter, holding the Board Certification of “stuttering specialist”. In addition to his research and clinical career, Dr. Tetnowski has served as a primary mentor to eleven doctoral students and is currently the primary mentor for six more. Dr. Tetnowski currently serves as the Coordinator for ASHA’s Special Interest Group on Fluency and Fluency Disorders and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Stuttering Association. He is an ASHA fellow. |
 Katarzyna Węsierska is an assistant professor at the University of Silesia in Poland and the founder and a speech-language therapists at the Logopedic Centre in Katowice. She was the first Polish graduate of the European Clinical Specialization in Fluency Disorders (ECSF). She is accredited by the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering in London to train Polish SLTs to use the Palin Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Children under Seven Who Stammer. In her research and clinical practice she focuses on fluency disorders. She coordinates a self-help group for people who stutter and/or clutter at the University of Silesia. She cooperates with international organizations and researchers from different countries to disseminate knowledge and change social attitudes towards fluency disorders. At the 11th Oxford Dysfluency Conference (2017) dr. Węsierska was awarded the David Rowley Award for International Initiatives. Every second year she chairs the International Conference of Logopedics at the University of Silesia. The conference covers stuttering, cluttering and other fluency disorders. |
 Dale F. Williams, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BRS-FD is a Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Director of the Fluency Clinic at Florida Atlantic University. In addition, he is a consultant for Language Learning Intervention and Professional Speech Services. A board-certified specialist in fluency, Dr. Williams served as Chair of the Specialty Board on Fluency Disorders from 2008 to 2010. He has coordinated the Boca Raton chapter of the National Stuttering Association since 1996. His publications include the books Stuttering Recovery: Personal and Empirical Perspectives (Psychology Press), Communication Sciences and Disorders: An Introduction to the Professions (Psychology Press), and Shining a Light on Stuttering: How One Man Used Comedy to Turn his Impairment into Applause (The Brainary), co-authored with comedian Jaik Campbell. Dr. Williams is currently working with a publisher on a series of stuttering workbooks. |
 J. Scott Yaruss is a Professor of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at Michigan State University. A board-certified specialist in fluency disorders, he has worked clinically with children and adults who stutter for more than 25 years. His research focuses on the development of stuttering and evaluating methods for treating stuttering across the lifespan. He is the co-author and publisher of the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering (OASES), as well as several books about stuttering (see www.StutteringTherapyResources.com). For more information, see www.Yaruss.com. |
