Spero Book Club

Course Description:

In this series of guided discussions, participants will learn the overt and covert side effects of stuttering, the cycle of struggle perpetuated by avoidance and maladaptive responses to stuttering, the state of hypervigilance about stuttering and its destructive toll on a person who stutters, and the role SLPs can play in marginalizing the side effects of stuttering and its impact. Participants will analyze the process of change that enables a person who stutters to let go of the physiological, emotional, and mental effort put into stuttering as well as avoidance and identity concealment in order to find self-acceptance, life fulfillment, and freedom, ease, and joy in communication.

Time-Ordered Agenda:

Part I – Affliction

5 min: Introductions and disclosures

20 min: Review of key terminology

30 min: Review of the side effects of stuttering as it relates to the internalization of stuttering and the role of debilitating inaction and avoidance

25 min: Review of the role of early speech therapy and intensive fluency clinic

15 min: Review of “earthquake moments” as early catalysts for change

20 min: Questions

5 min: Summary and Closing

Part II – Transcendence 

5 min: Introduction

15 min: Review of the “stuttering lens” as it pertains to coping mechanisms and maladaptive behaviors

15 min: Review of the effects of a singular focus on fluency and treatment approaches that perpetuate hiding stuttering

40 min: Review of the ARTS® treatment approach, the repurposing of “speech tools”, and cognitive restructuring as a crucial component of therapy

20 min: Review of resilience, the incremental compounding of endurance, and how support organizations relate to identity and growth

20 min: Questions

5 min: Summary and Closing

Part III – Change

5 min: Introduction

20 min: Review of Propeller One – Awareness

20 min: Review of Propeller Two – Action

20 min: Review of Propeller Three – Perspective

20 min: Review of Propeller Four – Social Connection

20 min: Questions

10 min: Values in Action Reflection Exercise

5 min: Summary and Closing

Register

$30 * + Cost of book

* Note: You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Book Club. After your registration is approved, you will receive a PayPal invoice from Spero Stuttering.

Disclosure: Spero Stuttering, Inc., a nonprofit organization that empowers and advocates for the stuttering community, provided financial support to offset the cost of the course.

Meet the Facilitators

Disclosures –

Financial disclosures: Christopher is employed by a government agency. He receives royalties from book sales of Every Waking Moment: The Journey to take Back My Life From the Trauma and Stigma of Stuttering. Non-financial disclosure: Christopher is a member of the National Stuttering Association.

Financial disclosures: Dr. Ana Paula G. Mumy is employed by East Texas Baptist University. Non-financial disclosures: Ana Paula is the co-founder and president of Spero Stuttering, Inc. She is also a member of ASHA, SIGs 4 and 14, and the National Stuttering Association.