What is the Stuttering Center of Western Pennsylvania?

The Stuttering Center of Western Pennsylvania is a joint venture of the Department of Audiology and Communication Disorders at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh.

Our mission includes:

· Providing specialized assessment and treatment for children, adolescents, and adults who stutter and their families.

· Providing education, training, and support for clinicians who work with individuals who stutter.

· Conducting an active program of basic and clinical research on the nature and treatment of stuttering across age groups.

· Offering support for people who stutter and their families through partnerships with self-help groups.

The Stuttering Center is staffed by board-certified specialists in fluency disorders, certified speech-language pathologists, and nationally recognized scientific practitioners who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of stuttering.

What is Stuttering?

Stuttering is a speech-language impairment characterized by frequent disruptions in the forward flow of speech, such as repetitions of words or parts of words, prolongations of sounds, or complete blockages of sounds. Speech disruptions may be accompanied by physical tension or struggle, but many young children do not yet exhibit such tension in the early stages of the disorder, when treatment is most effective.

Stuttering can have a marked impact on children's social, emotional, and educational development. If not identified and treated early, stuttering often results in significant communication disabilities that can limit people's ability to fully participate in life or to achieve their social or occupational goals.

Stuttering typically begins in early childhood (age 2½ to 4), though later onset is occasionally seen. Proper diagnosis of childhood stuttering can be challenging since many young children exhibit stuttering-like disruptions in their speech when they are learning to talk. Determination of a child's risk for developing a chronic stuttering problem is best performed by a speech-language pathologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of stuttering.

Stuttering treatment is most successful before a young child begins to develop negative reactions to the speech disruptions. Accordingly, early identification and diagnosis of stuttering is an important factor in successful treatment.

How can the Stuttering Center of Western Pennsylvania help you?

The clinicians and researchers at the Stuttering Center have dedicated themselves to developing and utilizing the most effective procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of stuttering in individuals across all age groups. The Center’s staff collaborates regularly with colleagues across the country to ensure the excellence of our clinical techniques.

The Stuttering Center is available for consultation or referral for children, adolescents, or adults who stutter, or for individuals who appear to be at risk for stuttering. In collaboration with the referring speech-language pathologist or other health care professional, the Stuttering Center can help determine the risk for stuttering and help formulate appropriate treatment options for a variety of clinical settings.

The Stuttering Center also provides basic and advanced training for practitioners who work with people who stutter and their families (including speech-language pathologists in schools, private practice, health-care, and other settings, school teachers and special education teachers, pediatricians, self-help groups, etc.).

Where is the Stuttering Center of Western Pennsylvania located?