De Shazer 's model of Solution Focused Brief Therapy is based on several core assumptions about the nature of change. Clients are viewed as being 'stuck ' in problem patterns in which attempts to resolve or cope with their difficulties have become part of the problem.

How Byron Pitts Conquered Stuttering

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 a national correspondent with CBS News.

Many years ago when I was in the Air Force, stationed in San Antonio, Texas, I went through a traumatic, distressing, and humiliating experience.

I worked as a clerk in an office, and it was my job (among other clerical duties) to answer all incoming phone calls. I received a routine call one day. The only other person in the office was an Army Major, a kind man. My telephone conversation that day was brief - I said hello, identified myself and the office I worked in and then listened for the reply. I was asked to comment on a particular subject - but sadly I was unable to comply with the request.

The physician is often the first professional to whom a parent turns for help. Knowing the difference between normal developmental speech disfluency and potentially chronic stuttering enables the physician to advise parents and refer when appropriate. Early intervention for stuttering which may range from parent counseling and indirect treatment to direct instruction can be a major factor in preventing a life-long problem.

The Stuttering Foundation Receives a Helping Hand
Behind the scenes of some of our King's Speech media exposure

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Many people - whether they stutter or not - have difficulty using the telephone.

Listen to some non-stutterers dealing with phone calls. Some take several seconds to answer. Others may "Um" and "Ah" a lot. Others may be very expressive with their hands or faces, perhaps talking loudly and aggressively.

Warning to Parents: Stuttering
Doesn't Take a Summer Break

Summertime Can Increase Stuttering

For children who stutter, summer break can be anything but a vacation.

As many as 5% of all children stutter during some point in their young lives.

Windy City Hosts ASHA 2008

Tiger wins at golf and stuttering

Top-ranked golfer Tiger Woods tells CBS's 60 Minutes that it takes hard work and a competitive spirit to overcome childhood stuttering.

 "The words got lost, you know, somewhere between the brain and the mouth. And it was very difficult, but I fought through it. I went to a school to try and get over that, and I just would work my tail off," Woods told the news program.

I have stuttered for 53 years. I have never liked it. Hundreds of times I have cursed it.

Throughout my life, I tried a variety of therapies and devices to assist me achieve fluent speech. The therapies worked briefly. Their effectiveness collapsed because I lacked the discipline to carry through on the therapies.

Iowa Workshop Sizzles!

By Patricia Zebrowski, Ph.D.
University of Iowa