Maryland Today featured Hearing and Speech Sciences faculty Dr. Nan Bernstein Ratner and Vivian Sisskin in an article exploring new research and approaches to stuttering. Dr. Bernstein Ratner’s research challenges long-standing speech therapy practices, finding little evidence that commonly recommended techniques, such as slowing speech or simplifying language, improve children’s stuttering. Vivian Sisskin, a clinical educator and speech-language therapist at UMD’s Hearing and Speech Clinic, highlighted the importance of stutter-affirming therapy, which shifts the focus from eliminating stuttering to helping individuals build confidence, develop meaningful connections, and achieve their personal goals. The article emphasizes the importance of evidence-based research and a more supportive, person-centered approach to stuttering therapy.

Read more in Maryland Today about how HESP faculty are reshaping stuttering therapy: https://today.umd.edu/stuttering-expert-upends-decades-of-ineffective-treatment-guidance