American Institute for Stuttering

08/06/2025

Shawn Fagan, the Chief Legal Officer of Citadel, received the Catherine Montgomery Award for his and Citadel’s philanthropic impact on AIS. Through the support of Ken Griffin, Citadel, and Shawn over the last 15 years, AIS has been able to provide therapy to hundreds of children and adults who could not otherwise afford it. 🌟

Shawn discussed that the impactful and life-transforming work that AIS does is directly aligned with the giving philosophy of Ken Griffin – that access to education and opportunity can make all the difference in someone’s life. 💬 Shawn saluted Eric Dinallo and Dr. Heather Grossman, and all of the talented speakers and therapists involved with AIS, and acknowledged the tremendous impact that AIS has had on the stuttering community and beyond – with its mission of broad education so beautifully encapsulated by its public service announcement.

He concluded by saying that the evening had shown us the “power of patience, the importance of listening, and the courage it takes to speak in a world that doesn’t always wait.” ✨

08/04/2025

We’re proud to share that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist—former NBA star and passionate advocate—is now part of the AIS Board! 🏀💬

Michael is using his voice to champion access to speech therapy across the country. Thanks to his efforts, Nevada has expanded insurance coverage for children who stutter. His mission? 50 states. Let’s go. 🙌

📖 Read more via the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/nevada-teams-up-with-ex-nba-star-to-help-kids-who-stutter-3409283

📸Photo credits to Ross Richards / Change & Impact

08/01/2025

📅 AIS AUGUST 2025 EVENTS 📅
Register through ➡️ www.stutteringtreatment.org/events

Adult Tuesday Night Group
Tuesday | August 12, 2025 | 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm EST | Online
This group is the perfect booster for those in individual therapy and a great way to recharge your confidence if you haven’t attended in a while. You can expect it to be both fun and functional.‍

Did That Just Happen? Exploring Stuttering-Related Discrimination Through Research and Reflection
Wednesday | August 13, 2025 | 7:00 pm EST | Online
In this interactive session, Dr. Hope Gerlach-Houck shares new research on the real-time impacts of microaggressions experienced by people who stutter. Through a blend of research findings, discussion, and reflection, attendees will explore how stuttering discrimination shows up, how it feels, and how we might respond in ways that support self-advocacy, resilience, and community.

Back to School Grand Rounds for SLPs Navigating Stuttering
Thursday | August 21, 2025 | 7:00 - 8:30 pm EST | Online
Join this grand rounds-style workshop for speech-language pathologists to increase your knowledge of best-practice in stuttering therapy, and build your confidence and your skills as a clinician working with people who stutter.

07/31/2025

AIS Clients Share 💬 Stuttering As A Contribution To Diversity

"My name is Will Esseks, and I have stuttered my entire life. Through my family's support and the help of the American Institute for Stuttering, I have learned that it is truly okay to speak with confidence and conviction, whether I am stuttering or not. I have realized over the years that finding my voice has not been a single journey. I've found pieces of my voice along the way, and I've learned to accept that my experience with stuttering will naturally ebb and flow over time.

Recently, I applied to a postgraduate entrepreneurial fellowship program. As part of the application, I was asked to provide an essay on how I could contribute to the diversity of the university.

My goal was to explain how my experience with stuttering would be my most valuable contribution to the diversity of the program. In sharing my answer below, I hope to give people who stutter a sense of how we can talk about stuttering in terms of diversity, and also as a life-shaping condition. The experience of stuttering can give us empathy, patience, strength, courage, and more."

Read more by visiting 🌐 www.stutteringtreatment.org/blog/stuttering-as-a-contribution-to-diversity

07/30/2025

AIS PRESENTS: Did That Just Happen? Exploring Stuttering-Related Discrimination Through Research and Reflection

Date: 📅 August 13, 2025
Time: 🕖 7:00 PM EST
🆓 Free and open to the public 💻 Online

How do subtle reactions to stuttering shape our days and our well-being? In this interactive session, Dr. Hope Gerlach-Houck shares new research on the real-time impacts of microaggressions experienced by people who stutter. Through a blend of research findings, discussion, and reflection, attendees will explore how stuttering discrimination shows up, how it feels, and how we might respond in ways that support self-advocacy, resilience, and community.

This event is free and open to the public. Click the link to register: www.stutteringtreatment.org/events/did-that-just-happen

07/29/2025

Counseling and Psychotherapy for People who Stutter 🧠💬📢

Just like everyone else, it is very common for people who stutter to seek out psychotherapy at some point in their lives. For many, though, it can be challenging to find a therapist who understands the complex, variable, and paradoxical nature of stuttering. Upon reflection, the staff at AIS has come to find that many of our clients have benefited from regular psychotherapy, but that it is often a struggle to take the first step - researching possible therapists and picking one!

People ask: I've got anxiety and/or depression, and I stutter. What kind of therapist will help the most?

The short answer: it depends. At AIS, we are licensed speech-language pathologists with specific expertise in stuttering, and it is very common for us to include cognitive therapy (ACT, REBT, CBT, Motivational Interviewing, and more) into our overall approach. Many people find that their anxiety and/or depression are highly related to their experience with stuttering, and the cognitive aspects of their speech therapy are sufficient in addressing those mental health challenges. Others may feel their anxiety/depression is a larger overall problem, and may decide that a psychologist or clinical social worker are more appropriate options. We have also found that many of our clients have benefited greatly from working with both a speech language pathologist and a psychotherapist at the same time.

Referral networks for finding a therapist
✔️ Psychology Today has a Find a Therapist Resource
✔️ National Q***r and Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN) has a directory of therapists, many of whom are trained in working with people with disabilities
✔️ Private Insurance In-Network - Check your insurance policy and ask for a list of in-network therapists

Read more by visiting our blog: 🌐 www.stutteringtreatment.org/blog/counseling-and-psychotherapy-for-people-who-stutter

07/25/2025

07/23/2025

The 19th Annual Freeing Voices, Changing Lives Gala recap is up! 📸🌟🔊
AIS celebrated its 19th Annual Freeing Voices, Changing Lives Gala on June 10, 2025. With over 320 people in attendance, we honored AIS’s role in the stuttering community, spread awareness about how stuttering impacts people’s lives, and raised over $1 million for AIS’s groundbreaking work in stuttering speech therapy, public education about stuttering, and related programming.

Read the full blog on our website: www.stutteringtreatment.org/galas/19th-annual-ais-gala

07/18/2025

All of our clinical staff had an amazing experience at the Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC last week! Still feeling encouraged, inspired, and excited about the amazing things happening in our stuttering community!

If you haven’t, make sure to check out - they are an incredible organization meant to empower young people who stutter, their families, and all who support them!

07/18/2025

Emily Blunt calls her stutter a superpower—one that’s shaped her parenting and deepened her values of empathy and kindness. 💙

As host of our 19th Annual Gala, Emily continues to use her voice to raise awareness and shift the conversation around stuttering.

Read more in Hello! Magazine:
🔗 hellomagazine.com/celebrities/837351/emily-blunt-reveals-the-secret-struggle-that-shaped-her-parenting-style

07/18/2025

We were honored to welcome incredible guests to our 19th Annual Gala, including NY Giants players Joshua Ezeudu, Tomon Fox, John Michael Schmitz, and Bryan Hudson, Survivor Season 48’s Mitch Guerra, and leaders across law, medicine, and media. 💙

They didn’t just show up—they stood up for a community too often left out of the conversation.

Read more from Resident Magazine:
🔗 resident.com/legacy-and-connections/2025/06/11/emily-blunt-hosts-19th-annual-american-institute-for-stuttering-gala-in-new-york-city

07/16/2025

Today, we’re talking about a simple tool for tracking success in stuttering therapy: “Courage Points”.

The idea is simple: When a client is faced with a speaking scenario—or sets an intention for a speaking challenge—both client and clinician will assess the level of courage needed to face the scenario. 💎 They then assign the challenge a certain number of points. Holding eye contact during a block may count for 20 points. Delivering a presentation at school might count for 100. Over time, the client builds towards a “high score” that can serve as a benchmark of accomplishment. 🎯

While it sounds basic, the beauty of this approach is that it allows for smaller, harder-to-notice victories—like, say, simply showing up to school when you really wanted to call in sick—to be recorded and to accumulate. 💡 Like a savings account, the courage score illustrates that incremental change over time can amount to significant growth. And, as always, the exercise removes perfect fluency from the definition of success. 🏅

Visit our website to read more: 🌐 www.stutteringtreatment.org/blog/therapy-thursday-courage-points