tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52577407494637345052024-03-08T01:48:06.650-05:00Lori's Journey Dealing with Stuttering and Tips to fly with fluencyThis a blog about a speech pathologist who overcame a severe stuttering disorder to treat other children and adults who stutter. It is Lori Melnitsky's journey, suggestions and experiences.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-55401297058935933102010-01-08T21:35:00.001-05:002010-01-08T21:42:29.525-05:00The label stutterer vs a person who stuttersToday I received a call from a parent of a child who stutters. This week happened to be an unusually difficult speech week for me as I had trouble sleeping at night. As a result I had to focus even more on my fluency tools but also realized the world was not going to end if I stuttered. As I spoke to this mother, she asked if I used to be a stutterer. I answered that I still was. Usually I don't care if people use the word stutterer or person who stutters, but this time I did. I felt like it was asked with judgement and the fact that I was a successful speech pathologist was being ignored. I don't have anything to prove to anyone at this point in my career as I have helped many people, but I do want to educate the public. If someone had asked this mother to describe her son, would she have said, "Joe ( not his real name) is a stutterer and goes to school." She probably wouldn't have even mentioned his stuttering as that does not define him. The point is we who stutter are people first. It does matter that we are viewed as people who stutter and not labelled as stutterers. We are not defined by how we speak. People who walk with a limp are not defined by how they walk. People who lisp are not called lispers. To the public who is not familiar with stuttering, please realize we are people, students, friends, spouses and parents who happen to stutter. Some of us happen to be very fluent and some of us happen to stutter openly. Most importantly we want to be heard, listened to, not interrupted and respected. I feel very strongly about this post as too many people who stutter have grown up with shame forgetting that they possess so many wonderful qualities. Thanks for reading this post. I would appreciate any comments.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-9605752704035405202010-01-04T17:52:00.002-05:002010-01-08T21:21:07.270-05:00Can we make a 9 year old go for stuttering therapy?-Part 1About 4 years ago I was treating a wonderful nine year old girl I will call Dori. (not her real name). Dori was discharged from speech therapy in school because her SLP said she hadn't noticed any dysfluencies in the speech room. Dori was thrilled to not be pulled out of class anymore for speech therapy. Her parents brought her to me because she was stuttering significantly at home. Dori later admitted that she became a pro at hiding her stuttering in speech in school. She was bright and could easily subsitute words. <br />
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Dori was approximately 33% dysfluent in my speech sessions (this was an average over 5 sessions).<br />
She presented with whole word repetitions, part word repeitions and laryngeal blocks. She also displayed lip tremors. At the end of 4 months, Dori's fluency had increased dramatically as did her eye contact and communication skills (we worked on these too). She was giving oral presentations in front of the class and tried out for the school play. One day, Dori asked me why she still had to come to speech therapy . She was adorable and trying not to hurt my feelings. She explained that she enjoyed our sessions and the fact they were fun, but she was happy how she spoke. She said her friends didn't care that she stuttered and she spoke all the time. In fact, her teacher called her parents reporting that she was disrupting the class by talking to her friends often. (This was actually music to all of our ears). I brought her parents in for the next session to talk about progress and whether she should continue. Dori's parents were torn. They thought she had progressed and was doing great, but they could not let go of the dream of total fluency. I think we resolved this conflict in a positive and healthyy way. This blog post will be continued at week's end, but I would love to hear how other parents, grad students or speech paths. have resolved this issue. What do we do as professionals when a family wants perfect fluency and the child is happy with the progress made? Please share your thoughts with me. tks LoriLori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-4762573429133503702010-01-03T12:22:00.000-05:002010-01-03T12:22:13.864-05:00The economy, insurance and stuttering therapy-Hope this helps!!Hi all-<br />
Hope it is warmer in your neck of the woods. It is freezing in NY. I have gotten over 10 calls for stuttering therapy in the last 3 weeks so I wanted to clarify a few things about insurance and options for effective and realistic fluency therapy.<br />
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First, please visit www.stutteringhelp.org (the stuttering foundation of america website) and click the link on insurance. This is very helpful and provides very useful information on stuttering for individuals and families.<br />
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First, stuttering for preschoolers might be covered by your local school district so contact them for an evaluation. Lidcombe is a wonderful and effective program. I modify it slightly and call it P.A.C.E. (please see www.allislandspeech.com). I highly recommend it. Even if your school district does not cover it, it is worth trying to eliminate such a devastating disorder during the preschool years.<br />
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The insurance ICD code for stuttering is 307.0. Many insurance companies don't cover stuttering therapy and I find more lately. Many times they will pay for the initial evaluation but not therapy. Why? I don't know the exact reasos except they don't consider it a medical expense. If you call your insurance company, don't just ask if they cover speech therapy. Often they will say yes for 30 visits. You must specifically ask if stuttering therapy is covered. Please get a contact name and someting in writing. If you call a speech provider and ask if they take insurance, it does NOT mean stutering is covered!!! Every plan is different. You can sometimes fight a rejection by appealing it but all this takes time.<br />
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So what does one do in a tough economy? First let me say if you are motivated or your child is we can always set up an initial 3 month trial and see if therapy helps. Once it works, it might be easier to pay for. Also, receipts can be submitted to flexible spending accounts. The other options are inquiring about group therapy of to reduce costs. In general the more you practice, the sooner you can go on maintenance. I have several teens and adults who are coming now once every two or three weeks on a maintenance schedule. They are maintaining a realistic amount of fluency and appear satisfied as are there parents. They talk to others weekly to increase opportunites for practice. Sign up for practice groups with my practice. Sign up on my facebook page, The Long Island Stuttering Connection and connect with others who stutter. (If you are under 18, please ask your parents before signing up). It is vital to go to a speech pathologist who specializes in stuttering therapy. (referral list www.stutteringhelp.org). In the end, it will save you money. I have many clients who have seen less experienced therapists before me and in the end have spent more money.<br />
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Remember, efffective communication is important and vital. Look for my open house in s few weeks on Long Island, NY to receive more information on stuttering and see a wonderful screeing on an adult who stutters. If you are out of state, think about coming in for an intensive weekend or via webcam. I am here to help all parents and people who stutter. Lidcombe for preschoolers can definitely be provided for international parents and children as well. It has worked well. Also, don't assume that just because you or your child has received therapy before and it wasn't effective that there is no hope. There is LOTS of it!!!<br />
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No one knows the pain of stuttering and having to put money aside for therapy or having a family member out of work. It is tough!! Let's try and work together so I can help you. Sometimes it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I am here to tell you the light can be so bright!! A happy and healthy New Year to all and thank you for everyone who has been following my blog. I welcome and appreciate all comments.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-75514876167703780292010-01-01T13:41:00.000-05:002010-01-01T13:41:44.867-05:00Looking for a job-Should I tell my potential employer I stutter?Happy New Year to all. Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve. I watched Dick Clark every year for the sake of tradition. I couldn't help but to admire this man who had a stroke. He was working so diligently at pronouncing his words and being understood. I was so glad to see him on TV. After all, what is New Year's Eve without Dick Clark?<br />
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I have recently gotten many calls from adults out of work. It is a tough economy and my heart goes out to those who are suffering. My husband was out of work several years ago and it was a very difficult time in our lives. Many have asked me my opinion disclosing the fact they stutter on an initial or phone interview. I thought I would share a story with you concerning my second job after I received my masters degree many years ago. <br />
I will start off with my first job out of school. When I graduated in 1992, there were more jobs than speech pathologists. I interviewed at UCP and got to the interview two hours early. I went into a coffee shop and literally breathed for two hours. The precision of my speech tools was still rough at that time so I knew my fluency would be shaky at best. When I went into the room I was approached by two women (two was always harder than one). They seemed very pleasant and when I started to answer their questions, I started blocking. I immediately explained that I stutter and had to use certain tools to talk. I was so nervous that I can't say if I used my fluency tools of easy onsets and continuous phonation, but the self disclosure improved my fluency. They said they wanted to do outreach on stuttering for preschool children and liked my experience with developmentally delayed adults. They offered me the job two days later. It was a wonderful experience. My colleagues knew I stuttered and respected me for it. At that time I was dating my husband and he lived up in Binghamton ( I lived on LI). The strain of a long distance relationship was starting to become difficult so I decided to move upstate after 4 months of working and look for a job. As I said, at that time there were many speech jobs. I sent out resumes and had 3 interviews set up within two weeks. I interviewed at a few places and was hired by a rehabilitation site. It sounded like a great opportunity. They treated children and adults with other speech pathologists on staff who seemed supportive and educated. I thought it would be a terrific learning environment. One huge problem, I was fluent on this interview and never even thought to mention my stuttering. I quickly moved upstate and starting working. I should mention that the woman who interviewed me was a SLP who had worked in the field for over 12 years. Everything was fine until my mother n law unfortunately became very ill with cancer. My then fiance had to spend many days on LI with his mother and I was alone in a strange city and a new job. Within a few weeks, my stuttering increased and I started to have difficulty maintaining fluency during speech and language evaluations with parents. Yes, it is true-I stuttered during these evaluations. Looking back I should have been open and honest with these parents, but I still was experiencing shame about stuttering. One day I got called into my boss' office. I will call this woman Anna. Anna abrubtly told me that two parents had inquired about my stuttering and it would not be tolerated. I told her I stuttered and was trying to work on my fluency. I also told her my future mother n law was terminal and it was very stressful. She told me that this was a for profit rehabilitation facility and they would not tolerate losing money. I looked at her and promised that I would try to improve my fluency.(this was ridiculous because I was selling my sole to the devil so to speak) This was the beginning of what I now call mental and verbal abuse, but also a very painful situation I learned from. She kept harrassing me and telling me I had to be fluent. She always made sure her office door was closed and we were alone when she spoke to me. Guess what? As you might have guessed my fluency decreased. I decided to practice 45 minutes a day and I will say after a month it really helped. My easy onsets and full breaths were back and my fluency improved. Anna was always testing me, but I did excel. She would come to school district meetings with me and listen to my fluency. I was very fluent and also spoke very well. I was not going to let her win. No Way!!!!! The situtations that were hardest for me were weekly department meetings because I felt like the speech pathologists were always judging my expertise based upon how fluent I was. At that time, I had a supervisor for my clinical fellowship year (this is needed to get your permanent license). This woman was always being pressured by Anna to make sure I was fluent. I would have left sooner but I promised myself I would finish and get my permanent license no matter what. To make a very long story short, I became permanently licensed, married my husband, and my mother n law unfortunately passed away before we got married. (That was worse than any stuttering).<br />
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When I got back from my honeymoon, my supervisory period was almost over. My immediate supervisor told me Anna was bad mouthing me while I was gone but knew I could invoke the American Disability Act if she fooled around with termination related to stuttering. I had talked to a lawyer at that point and didn't hide the fact. A month later I became permanently licensed and interviewed at Boces by a wonderful special education administrator named Elaine. She hired me on the spot. I was mostly fluent during this interview, but had learned my lesson. I said that I wasn't sure if she noticed that I stuttered, but wanted her to know it is the reason I became a speech pathologist. I also added that it didn't interfere with my job. She looked at me with warm compassion and said she wasn't worried and figured that was why I chose the profession. She also said it was why she was hiring me. I worked there for over a year before I moved back to LI. I went to meetings, worked with children who stutter, had articulation issues and learning disabilities. I have to say this woman was wonderful to work for. She had compassion I had never seen before. I went to meetings and spoke not only fluently, but effectively. Did I ever stutter? Sure I did, but I wasn't ashamed of it. <br />
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In conclusion, we have to accept who we are. I do suggest educating your interviewer on the fact that you stutter, but I also don't suggest dwelling on it. They are there to here what you can offer their company. I will never work for or with anyone again who doesn't accept me for who I am. I do not and will not judge my self worth on how fluent my speech is, however, I learned that I wanted to be as fluent as I could be. That is why I never gave up. This is why I teach more fluency shaping tools than stuttering modification tools. I am open to whatever helps my clients, but I don't think you should think that improved fluency isn't possible. This is why I talk to the teens especially projecting their voice with confidence, densitizing themselves to talking on the phone and education their parents and friends. I try to give all children and adults an increased sense of self worth and control of their lives. I hope I can provide postitive memories of successful speaking situations. Anyway, you are probably tired of hearing me lecture by now. I would love to hear from others regarding this topic. Again, happy and healthy New Year to you and your family. I look forward to reading your comments as always.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-61243368089543385132009-12-31T11:29:00.000-05:002009-12-31T11:29:34.285-05:00Stuttering in Children -Helpful tips for parents-Parent MagazineTHIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN PARENTS MAGAZINE IN 2007. I AM REPRINTING DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND.<br />
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STUTTERING IN CHILDREN...<br />
HELPFUL TIPS FOR PARENTS..<br />
by Lori Melnitsky, MA CCC-SLP <br />
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What is stuttering? What causes it? Although, the exact cause is unknown, there are known environmental factors that contribute to stuttering. Ideally, it is the goal of working with young children who stutter to eliminate disfluencies while involving parents in the process. Stuttering is an interruption of the continuous flow of speech. It can be characterized as prolongations (sssssssssnake), repetitions of words (I I I want milk) or phrases (I want I want milk), frequent use of filler words (uh, um), blocking (silence and struggle before saying a word). <br />
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Between the ages of 2 and 5, many children experience stuttering. This is often considered a period of normal disfluencies. Why? One reason is that children are still coordinating their speech patterns and acquiring language during this stage. Will these children outgrow it? The majority will, but there is no way of knowing for sure. This is why consulting a speech/language pathologist at the onset is vital.<br />
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Did you know that approximately 1 % of the population stutters? Additionally, 4 out of 5 people who stutter are male. Many times there is a family member who stutters. One known fact is that parents are NOT at fault. Also, stuttering is not a contagious disease. No one will start to stutter if they hear another person stuttering. <br />
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What are some of the characteristics of normal developmental disfluencies?<br />
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1. The child does not exhibit struggle behaviors (such as kicking his foot) or display awareness of how they sound.<br />
2. Disfluent moments can disappear and then unexpectedly reappear days or months later. <br />
3. The child is not avoiding speaking situations or displaying frustration.<br />
4. Easy repetitions of words and short phrases.<br />
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When does stuttering become more of a concern?<br />
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1. Children who are at risk usually exhibit struggle behaviors while forcing words out (such as unusual breathing patterns, or facial grimacing).<br />
2. They often avoid feared words or speaking situations. Fear and frustration is often visible.<br />
3. Saying “I don’t know” often in response to obvious questions or changing words. These are forms of avoidance.<br />
4. Using filler words often (like, um, uh).<br />
5. Prolongations of sounds (ssssssssnake). Stuttering might become longer in duration.<br />
6. Change in intonation patterns (rising pitch during the period of stuttering).<br />
7. Blocking on words, such as opening mouth with no audible sound coming out. Disruptions in breathing patterns.<br />
8. Stuttering becomes more frequent.<br />
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What do you do if you suspect your child is stuttering?<br />
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1. Seek out the help of a speech/language pathologist experienced with stuttering. Often, doctors and family members will say ”Wait, the child will grow out of it”. This is often incorrect and increases tension in the family. Always consult with a SLP for advice. They may monitor the child or provide parents with information to help their child. They might use a direct therapeutic approach with the child or with both the child and parents. <br />
2. Be a good listener--pay close attention to what is being said NOT how it is being said. Look directly into the child’s eyes to show that you are truly listening to the message.<br />
3. Reduce questioning. This will decrease demands placed on the child. <br />
4. Avoid putting the child in the spotlight-ex: “Tell Aunt Sue what you did in school today”. This puts too much pressure on the child.<br />
5. Avoid comments like talk slower. Try and model a slow relaxed natural sounding speech pattern. (This is difficult. SLPs will demonstrate this for you). <br />
6. Delay responding to allow for more pauses and reduce time pressure for the child.<br />
7. Don’t ask the child to repeat the sentence. It will only increase awareness and frustration.<br />
8. Most importantly, don’t panic!!! Although we can’t identify who will eventually stop stuttering, we can give advice to parents on how to talk to a child who stutters and model the appropriate way to respond. <br />
9. Remember it is not your fault. Parents are NOT to blame.<br />
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All of these strategies will be easier to follow once you have met with a speech/language pathologist. <br />
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There are also more direct therapy approaches available if stuttering persists. For the school aged child who continues to stutter, there is still hope. Although the chances of outgrowing stuttering decrease after age 6, there are strategies available to improve communication and decrease stuttering. Children at this age often become highly aware of being different from their peers. It is important to work with a SLP on not only speech strategies, but ways to handle everyday speaking situations. <br />
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Remember parents your words, are like candy to a child. They eat them up. Be kind, patient and loving. Most importantly, consult a speech/language pathologist if you suspect your child is stuttering.<br />
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For more information, please contact Lori Melnitsky. Lori is a speech language pathologist (SLP) who stuttered severely as a child and specializes in treating children and adults who stutter in Plainview, NY. She is available for therapy, parent workshops at schools, consultations, and presentations at local universities. She is the chapter leader of the National Stuttering Association Adult and teen chapters on LI and founder of the LI Stuttering Connection. She is in private practice and treats children and adults who stutter as well as other speech and language disorders. Lori can be contacted at 516-776-0184 or via e-mail: Lori@allislandspeech.com (www.allislandspeech.com)Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-28792185263497138132009-12-31T10:16:00.000-05:002009-12-31T10:16:18.598-05:00Happy and Healthy 2010!May we all judge our self worth not by how much we stutter or are fluent, but by who we really are inside. If you choose improved fluency as a goal, I am here to tell you it is possible. Peace to all!!Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-44899349096024173362009-12-30T11:53:00.005-05:002009-12-30T12:11:58.444-05:00Continuous phonation-How important is it to fluency?I am back. I didn't think I would get a chance to write another blog before 2010, but I got up early today and had time. <br /><br />I was recently reading an article about continuous phonation and linking words together. As many of you know, I am a graduate of the Precision Fluency Shaping program. I teach many of the skills I learned along with cognitive modifications and some stuttering modification tools. It was a wonderful program and I recommend it if you live in Virginia. I would recommend either follow up by a local SLP weekly, practice groups or even me via a webcam. The carryover is the tricky part. I like doing this program on consecutive weekends with older teens and adults in groups of 2, 3 or 4. <br /><br />Getting back to continuous phonation. Many times when I am working with people who stutter, I will close my eyes as I am linking my words together. I don't do this in real life situations, but in exaggerated practice. Why, because it allows me to feel the vibration on the voiced sounds (ex: vowels,and consonants: b, d, g, j, l, m, n, r, v, w, x, y, z). If you put your hand to your throat and contrast cognates g (guh) and K (kuh), you will feel the guh is voiced and a buzzing will occur as your vocal folds meet. This doesn't happen for kuh (unvoiced sound) so you would have to feel the vibration on the vowel. This is how an easy onset starts. People who are naturally fluent do not break up their words and sentences. The sentences and words flow together. In the early years I was so jealous of this. Such an easy task, but so difficult for people who stutter. Later on , I realized I had to almost examine and dissect fluent speech to change my dysfluent speech patterns and treat others who stutter. When my clients link their words together, they are generally increasingly fluent. Many times this has to start with adequate full breath breathing. If you start to exhale all your air and then talk, stuttering and tension will occur. If you don't take in enough air, words will sound pushed and struggle will occur. This is why people who block in the laryngeal area have silent blocks when air capacity is reduced. I know this is hard to visualize in writing. I will try and make a you tube video tomorrow if my new flip camera comes. Continuous phonation and easy onsets are important and require intense practice. Please e-mail me with any questions. Also, SLPs on LI, please e-mail me if I can provide any inservices to your districts. tks LoriLori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-22978118402402056522009-12-28T18:54:00.004-05:002009-12-28T19:24:45.876-05:00Stuttering goals and New Years Resolutions-Suggestions for realistic goalsJust recently I was reading an old diary of mine. On almost every page I wrote that I hoped I woke up the next morning and my stuttering would disappear. I wondered if I stayed up all night and prayed if I would wake up fluent the next morning. On New Years Eve, I would write my New Year's resolutions, which included I will find a way to stop stuttering this year so I could be free of the talking jail I lived in. I just wanted to say what I wanted to without struggling. I used to wonder what would that feel like? Would it change my personality? The truth is I was a teenager and my goals were too huge and unrealistic. I needed a speech pathologist who specialized in fluency. I needed to meet other teens who stuttered. (I did find some educated SLPs in my 20's who I will always be grateful to and taught me so much.)<br /><br />I would like to share with you realistic goals to work on your stuttering. As I have said before, stranger things have happened and you can be free of the stuttering bondage. Here are some realistic goals to set. I am planning on writing goals with my clients as of the first of the year. <br /><br />1. To find a speech pathologist who specializes in stuttering/fluency therapy.<br />2. To learn at least two new tools to improve fluency.<br />3. Learn to breath correctly with the help of a stuttering expert. Start by sitting in a chair and putting your hand on your stomach (below your diaphram). Breathing from your shoulders or while raising your shoulders will cause tension and tension leads to stuttering. Feel your diaphram expand.<br />4. Try and go into your first word easy.<br />5. Connect your words together.<br />6. Join facebook-The Long Island Stuttering Connection to connect with other pws.<br />7. Seek out a stuttering specialist. Some, like me, offer group therapy.<br />8. Believe in yourself. Even if you have had prior speech therapy and you felt it wasn't successful. Don't give up. Parents-never ever give up on your child-even if they don't seem motivated. Chances are they haven't found the appropriate person to work with.<br />9. Accept the fact that you stutter but don't give up on improving fluency. You have no idea how severely I stutttered. There were times I could not get a word out. I am grateful for the support and fluency therapy I have received in my life. I still do at times, but the fear of talking is gone (which I think added years to my life)<br />10. Post a comment on my blog and let me know how I can help you.<br />11. If you are a teen and are unsure how to decrease stuttering, have your parents contact me. I have had success with teens who stutter and have a great practice group. We have fun and use tools. (the adults have fun too!!)<br /><br />Most importantly, my best wishes for a happy and healthy 2010. May the economy recover and we all find improved fluency, communication, confidence,good health and peace in our lives. Please post any questions and/or comments. I love knowing others are reading my blog.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-46595628792156026852009-12-27T20:16:00.001-05:002009-12-27T20:33:12.068-05:00The Long Island Stuttering Connection-facebookHope everyone is enjoying a relaxing and joyous holiday season. If you are an adult who stutters interested in practicing fluency tools, or a parent of a teen interested or a parent interested in a support group for parents of children who stutter. please join my facebook page, Long Island Stuttering Connection. Also, if you use a device, such as the speech easy or fluency master please join us as well. You are all welcome. This is expanding and please look for meetings and support and practice groups in 2010. Good things are happening on LI for the stuttering community. Thank you to the Stuttering Foundation of America and National Stuttering Association for showing me how important education and support is. As a result of these two wonderful organizations, I am able to go forward with my dream of providing safe meetings for adults and teens to practice fluency tools. I can offer you all visual examples of how to use easy onsets, full breaths, continuous phonaton and empowerment exercises. We can encourage each other and realize the freedom of fluency in a safe environment. (If you stutter, it is ok, it will give us all an opportunity to learn from eachother). I am also hoping to provide everyone with manuals and practice Cd's. This will take financing so I am looking into non-profit status. <br />I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. To all my clients reading this thank you for allowing me the honor of working with you. To the parents, thank you for trusting me with your children. As 2009 comes to an end, I want to say stuttering is something we do NOT who we are. Believe in yourself and reward yourself for small accomplishments. Be good to yourself. Happy and Healthy New Year to all of you.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-43959912393597866962009-12-24T23:38:00.001-05:002009-12-24T23:40:04.997-05:00Merry Christmas to all who celebrate the holiday!!Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-71364807327226846972009-12-22T21:59:00.005-05:002009-12-22T22:12:52.679-05:00PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonemic Targets)Hi everyone-<br />I want to talk about PROMPT therapy tonight. It is not related to stuttering therapy. It is used for children who have oral motor disorders, oral motor dysfunction, apraxia, dyspraxia and articulation errors. It stands for PROMPTS for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonemic Targets. You can read more about it on www.promptinstitute.com. It is a touch cue approach where each sound is formed by the speech pathologist through shaping the mouth, stabilizing the jaw, and elevating the tongue. I am certifed in this approach and if you have a child who is apraxic, slow to talk, has limited tongue, lip and jaw movement or minimal success with articulation therapy, I highly recommend it. I have seen two year olds who can't speak start to produce vowels and words. I have seen older children with articulation errors make much faster gains. Please call me to discuss further. This is my other passion besides stuttering therapy. Stay warm everyone.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-71820832724291927332009-12-20T22:15:00.012-05:002009-12-21T08:26:33.557-05:00Two Successful Female Speech Pathologists who Stutter Rise to fluencyOver 25 years ago two teens met at a practice group for people who stutter on LI, NY. We were the only two females out of 20 men in a room of people who stutter. I was 18 and Lisa was 19. The goals of these meetings were to practice fluency tools and that was it. Most of these people were graduates of either airflow therapy or precision fluency. At the time, we were airflow graduates. We were scared that we would stutter and not be able to use our tools effectively. Only fluency was acceptable at these meetings. Stuttering was not allowed. Acceptance was not spoken about at that time. We focused at the meetings and were fluent, but the fear of stuttering was a concern. These were successful business men who wanted fluency for promotions. They weren't going to accept blocking and stuttering from us.<br /><br />Lisa and I were and are very different in many ways. Lisa was blonde, tall, thin and outgoing. I was more average built with curly hair and painfully shy (I am definitely not shy anymore-LOL). I was the covert stutterer who wanted to hide. We exhanged phone numbers not realizing both of us were petrified to use the phone. (which is funny when I think about it now) We tried to call but hung up when anyone else answered. Luckily caller ID was not invented then. Not to sound old, but they didn't even have e-mails. A few weeks went by and we saw eachother at Hofstra University on the unispan (bridge). We realized we were both attending the same college (this had to be fate). Lisa was a speech pathology major and at the time I was an accounting major. We were so different, but so alike in one way-stuttering. Stuttering had devastated us. It ruined our academic lives and dominated how we interacted with others. I still remember Lisa walking up to me with a big smile and asking if I wanted to go to the Rat (campus eatery) to get a cheeseburger. Those were the best words I had ever heard. I felt so alone at the time. I was a freshman and was afraid to speak. Lisa had been enrolled in speech therapy at the Hofstra clinic. I had taken airflow privately but was having difficulty using it outside of the clinic. When we stuttered, we hit it big time. Blocks and silent pauses as well as facial contortions. She offered to take me to the Hofstra Clinic where I eventually enrolled in airflow therapy. It was exciting at first. We did it together, gave presentations and I even got a job on campus answering phones in the admissions office. We were flying, fluent and life was good. One problem, we never really accepted the fact that we would still stutter and when we did, the shame and embarrassment overpowered us. We were too young to handle these emotions. You might ask, what happened? We crashed and our stuttering came back with a vengeance. We lost control and both felt like failures. Our confidence started nose dying and for years after we couldn't seem to get it back. Lisa had to take public speaking to graduate and failed it several times. It was heartbreaking to watch but yet I have never admired someone so much for sticking to it. She was going to be a speech pathologist no matter what. A few years later, after working in accounting, I decided it was time to stop hiding. I went back for my masters in speech pathology as well. I was told by the first grad school by a speech pathologist who is a board recognized fluency specialist I would never be able to communicate to talk to a parent. If it wasn't for Lisa and my family's support, I might have given up. We stuck together like glue. Lisa is like a sister I never had. She supported me and I her. We eventually decided that we stuttered severely and needed an intensive program. Our stuttering was giving us headaches, causing us to hide and physically and mentally exhausting us. I have to admit by this time our parents and families had spent countless thousands on speech therapy by this time but we were not giving up. Insurance usually didn't pay but we had to do it to survive. Looking back even though money was tight, it was the best money spent. After all, we wanted fluency but most of all self esteem and to lead our lives freely. We took a three week intensive fluency shaping course which helped our speech tremendously. We still had some difficulty when we came home, but always had each other to practice with. We went back for refreshers and it was a long journey. Lisa was more open about her speech than me. She brought it up on interviews and with friends and family. I was still living the lie. I was going to act fluent no matter what. It was killing me inside and I would cringe if the word stuttering was mentioned. So was there any hope? Did these two aspiring speech pathologists make it? Yes, and we soared!!!<br /><br />I will skip to almost thirty years later. We are now two successful speech pathologists both specializing in fluency disorders. We have walked the walked and talked the talk. We both have wonderful husbands, two beautiful children and two cute dogs, Parker Fudge and Buddie Wallace. We are both fairly fluent but accept that we will probably always stutter. We have talked about it with our children and their friends. We have only heard positive feedback and support. We still use our easy onsets, continuous phonation, pullouts and correct breathing to communicate. We always thought stuttering was the worst thing in our lives when we were younger until we both went through some hard times. Lisa lost her mother and most recently her sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I went through the loss of my husband's job and suffered great stress. It is interesting to note that stuttering no longer is the most important concern in our lives. We both call doctors for our kids when we have to, speak to teachers, speak to parents daily and no longer let stuttering rule our lives. I give presentations and workshops to spread the word about stuttering therapy. I provide individual and group therapy as well. We are stronger for what we have been through and still the best of friends. This blog is dedicated to my dear friend Lisa and her sister, Helene, who is battling ovarian cancer with courage and grace. <br /><br />Remember, Stuttering does NOT have to rule you. Do not give up. Keep seeking speech therapy. You can accept the fact that you stutter and still be more fluent!! Always reach for the stars and no less. Please contact me if you want to talk more. Have a great night and if you are on the east coast, be careful driving in the snow. Thank you Pam for encouraging me to write this post.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-39948350735954115272009-12-16T21:46:00.006-05:002009-12-16T22:20:42.333-05:00Two teen testimonials of teens who stutterI would like to share two stories of two teens, one a male (age 14), the other a female (age 17). These two teenagers are very different but share stuttering in common and the pain that often accompanies it. They both came to me with low self esteem due to the fears of stuttering and being perceived as different. I asked the first teen whom I will call Robert to write a blurb how speech therapy has helped him. I remember Robert having a difficult time expressing himself last Feb. As the months went by, I saw a young man come out of his shell. He started to accept the fact that he stuttered, but wanted to improve. He was and is motivated to this day. If he had difficulty with the "B" sound, he would go home and practice that sound all week. When he was afraid to answer the phone, he pushed himself to answer it anyway until the fear subsided. He never stopped practicing with his friends and family. This is what he wrote (12/09):<br /><br /> "When I started speech therapy last February of 2009, I was a moderate stutterer. Before I started speech therapy, I felt really different compared to other people because of the way I talked. But after a few months, I got new tools to control my stuttering. I started seeing results immediately and have been improving ever since. It's not fun to see people giving you a strange face like you have two heads or have people talking about you. I started seeing that in school and it actually made my stuttering worse. But with these tools, I have been able to speak more fluently and raise my confidence. I don't know where I would be without speech therapy." <br /><br />The next story is about a young woman who will be attending college next year. I am going to post her college essay on my website soon so stay posted. It is called Speechless and it is a gem worth reading. This is what she wrote in my holiday card:<br /><br /> " Thank you so much for helping with my speech for the past 3 months. That's pretty much a Hanukah gift in itself. You've made me much more comfortable in any type of speech situation and have really made me comfortable in my own skin also. You're an amazing teacher and I couldn't have asked for anyone better. Thanks again and I'll be looking forward to another great year of speech class with you." <br /><br /> Amy and her parents are very proud of her accomplishments as I am of her. She just got a job which involves answering phones and practices her fluency tools. She is a wonderful communicator and I know she will have a successful fashion career ahead of her.<br /><br />I hope these stories give hope to all who stutter, especially teens and their families. Both were realistic in their goals. They weren't looking for perfect fluency and knew they had to keep practicing. They were on a journey and still are. They role played situation after situation until they were able to speak in front of others and on the phone. Everyone who stutters knows the look Robert talked about above. The look when someone who stutters opens their mouth and the words won't come out. Facing the looks of the listener's bewilderment, silent inquiry as to what possibly could be wrong with this person and confusion is devastating. These teens went one step further and educated their listener and the world on what stuttering is. It is a communication disorder, but it doesn't define us. I say more power to them and I applaud their efforts. Happy and Healthy Holiday to all. Thank you for reading and I welcome your comments. Peace to all in the coming year. LoriLori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-30665973337341221142009-12-12T11:57:00.002-05:002009-12-12T12:03:14.364-05:00Teens and StutteringHappy Chanukah to all my friends who celebrate Chanukah. May the lights of the chanukah menorah shine brightly in your lives. <br /><br />Thank you for all the beautuful notes from my teens who wrote how their fluency improved as well as their self esteem. What a wonderful holiday gift to not let stuttering control you and to be able to talk to your friends and in class! So wonderful to hear. <br /><br />Also, looking to start a Suffolk County practice group for teens and adults who stutter. Please contact me. tks LoriLori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-55415165977253567342009-12-05T09:06:00.004-05:002009-12-05T09:12:51.745-05:00Covert StutteringI want to recommned a terrific, insightful and honest blog started by a woman named Pam Mertz, whom I first met a National Stuttering Association conference a few years back. She started a blog on covert stuttering ( and a yahoo group) that has taught me so much about covert stuttering. Although I stuttered too severely early on to be called a covert person who stutters, I was always trying to deny the fact that I stuttered. It was only when I became truly honest with my self that I was able to accept myself and use fluency tools. Hence, my fluency dramatically improved as did my self acceptance.<br /><br />Read it, you will be hooked:<br />www.stutterrockstar.wordpress.comLori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-52791233540444964172009-12-03T16:59:00.003-05:002009-12-03T17:30:19.117-05:00Self Esteem and stutteringWhat is self esteem? I read this from the link: www.health.org/kid/feeling/emotion -under "What is Self-Esteem?" (The Story of Self-Esteem). It says "Self-Esteem isn't bragging about how great you are. It's more like quietly knowing that you're worth a lot (priceless, in fact). It's not about thinking you're perfect-because nobody is-but knowing that you're worthy of being loved and accepted."<br />I like this definition. It's what I work on besides fluency therapy. No, I am not a psychologist, but I have taken courses in cognitive psychology and feel it is a vital piece in fluency therapy. I don't believe kids or teens (or adults for that matter) can really improve their fluency without a great deal of self esteem. What do you think?<br /><br />Stuttering was difficult for me when I was young. I didn't feel what I had to say was important. Why? I don't know. I have a father who praised me constantly. My fluency finally improved as an adult when I thought I was worthy to take my time to use tools and be listened to. How wonderful for me as a speech pathologist to hear from parents that they went to their child's parent teacher conferences and the teacher told them their child volunmeers in class to speak out loud, not allowing stuttering to stop them. How great it is to hear they have been talking more fluently outside the clinic room while exhibiting wonderful self esteem. So proud of all these kids and teens I work with and everyone else who stutters for having courage to believe in yourself and follow your dreams.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-22447636404209383602009-11-29T14:13:00.002-05:002009-11-29T14:16:56.829-05:00Long Island Stuttering Connection-Teen practice groupWe had a great practice group last week for teens who stutter ranging in age from 10 to 17. We practiced introductions, public speaking skills and spend time getting to know one another. It was led by Lori Melnitsky, a speech pathologist who overcame a severe stuttering disorder. We are looking forward to having it again soon. Teens practiced easy onsets, breathing, connecting words together while offering encouragement and support. Of course we ate munchkins as well.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-53395041746722009152009-11-22T22:33:00.002-05:002009-11-22T22:35:17.188-05:00Stuttering Therapy-teletherapyI am responding to the three calls I got this week from out of the country for fluency therapy for stuttering. I have a structured program that I run for people who can not come in for therapy. Please contact me at Lori@allislandspeech.com.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-60220153037653728482009-11-22T22:23:00.004-05:002009-11-22T22:32:49.629-05:00Six year old student who stutters on LI-Lidcombe programI started treating a six year old boy several months ago for speech therapy. He stutters and had tried other therapies since age 3 with little success. Interestingly, his mother had been told that once her son reached age 6, the emotional impact of stuttering would begin. Her question was, Is the age of 6 too late to improve fluency and reduce the negative impact? My answer was absolutely not. We have done a modified Lidcombe Program and this child is doing beautifully. He responds to positive praise and his fluency has increased as well as his ability to establsh eye contact. He is starting to self correct and is speaking with increased confidence. His mom loves the parent involvement piece and emphasis on learning in a fun way. Has anyone else had success with a Lidcombe approach at the age of 6? I highly recommend it and am glad the mom pursued it.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-59830359307806285712009-11-18T17:54:00.004-05:002009-11-18T17:59:23.185-05:00Long Island Stuttering Story-Preschooler age 4-LidcombeToday I discharged a 4 year old boy from CPSE for stuttering. We followed the Lidcombe method for early childhood stuttering. It took 18 weeks and he is no longer stuttering. Parents were very involved and this program yielded great success. This child started out with whole word repetitions, part word repetitions, and avoiding eye contact. We worked on verbal praise and self correction. I highly recommend researching this program. I accept private pay and CPSE for early childhood stuttering.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-59957360814806923962009-11-16T21:28:00.003-05:002009-11-17T16:06:52.160-05:00To the parent of a child who stutters-How difficult is it to watch your child struggle? It is tough. However, I have found over the many years of working with people who stutter, if you really sit back and listen to the content of what people say, you almost forget about the stuttering. Isn't it interesting that once a child feels more comfortable speaking, his or her fluency usually increases as does his or her ability to use their tools? What can parents do?<br /><br />1. Let their child know they are accepted no matter what they say.<br />2. Establish eye contact.<br />3. Realize the best gift you can give your child is unconditional acceptance and love.<br />4. Remember all the wonderful qualities your child has.<br />5. Give them speech therapy.<br />6. Be patient with progress.<br />7. Surround your child with others who stutter so they don't feel alone.<br />8. Help them practice.<br />9. Hug them daily.<br />10.Praise them often.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-65904001773088714452009-11-16T18:51:00.002-05:002009-11-16T18:51:49.796-05:00Marital bliss-Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-3051373670255550532009-11-15T22:26:00.004-05:002009-11-16T21:28:17.349-05:00Marital bliss-Does it make a difference in stuttering recovery?Tonight I spent the evening with my parents and brother and sister n law. My father stuttered severely as a child and up until age 40 or so. I was talking to my father as my mother was involved in an intense conversation with my sister n law. I was talking to my father about a stuttering issue as I can only talk to another person who stutters. He all of a sudden inquired of my mother if his stuttering bothered her when they were dating ( he was 16, she was 14). She hesitated for a moment and said she didn't really remember. She then stated that it might of but she probably liked the fact that he let her talk. My mom is a talker. My dad become a talker in the last 15 years or so. She stated she was so happy for him that he could say what he wanted now. I was thinking that my dad never received fluency therapy. He never talked about stuttering when he was young nor did his family. His parents were immigrants. He is a pharmacist and stuttering did not impact his career or family decisions. Why not? What makes him different than others? I welcome others feedback as to why some are so affected by stuttering and others not. BTW-My parents are married over 49 years.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-75846161359162441062009-11-14T23:33:00.003-05:002009-11-14T23:38:30.631-05:00Stuttering Therapy on Long Island and GleeJust curious what everyone thought of the glee episode where the girl pretended to stutter because she was shy and didn't want to make a speech in school? I would have preferred the show didn't use stuttering in this situation. I don't think it provided the public with stuttering education and knowledge. I welcome your opinions.<br /><br />Also, there is a teen practice group next week. Hope all can attend. I am going to share a wonderful story of a teen who stutters entering college soon. A wonderful, inspiring story.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257740749463734505.post-6923807617853379242009-11-06T15:34:00.002-05:002009-11-06T15:36:50.117-05:00Long Island Stuttering -teens/Adult groupsSo far four adults are willing to sign up for the adult practice groups. If you have taken prior speech therapy please call me and I will welcome you. Please e-mail me at Lori@allislandspeech.com or call 516-776-0184.<br /><br />Just a tip-use easy onsets on vowels especially. Sometimes just a slight modification helps.Lori Melnitskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05735237964262097447noreply@blogger.com0