Reviews Written by Consumers
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Therapy Programs
Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI)
About: The Hollins Fluency Program is a prolonged speech (fluency shaping) stuttering therapy program. It is a 12-day residential therapy program in Roanoke, Virginia.
Evidence: No clinical trials have been published about the Hollins Fluency Program. Their website claims that "Ninety-three percent of HCRI program participants achieve fluency by the end of our 12-day stuttering treatment program."
Very slow speech, doesn't work for everyone
Feb 1, 2012
Reviewer: Leroy
The Hollins Program is a very interesting program that really only works for a few people completely. There is no doubt that the majority of people, maybe even the 93% (claimed by Hollins) that complete the Hollins program, are fluent but this 93% fluency is measured on the last day of the program after a person has spent nearly 100 hours of practicing the Hollins speech "targets" as they are called, using electronic equipment/computers that provide feedback to the client in the highly supportive (of course) Hollins clinic starting with 2 second syllable durations to "slow normal" syllable durations. After such heavy conditioning (two second syllables!) it is no wonder that people are fluent, especially in a supportive environment like Hollins where the program is all about stuttering and helping stutterers and providing a program completely for stutterers. Now that is a lot of attention! So the person leaves assuming naturally that they will be just as fluent on the outside. On the last day of the program I went into a cubicle and read some paragraphs and I was being videoed and was aware how fluent I was as I read but did not know why! because I really hadn't learned completely what I needed to know. The problem is that the Hollins program is completely "laboratory derived" and not derived for use in the real world. A client is supposed to assume that the program works in the outside world and if he runs into a problem he is supposed to "exaggerate" the targets and/or practice more. The REAL problem with the Hollins program is how slowly a person talks when they are done. I mean how slowly a person talks after the Hollins program as compared with the people he has to talk to. Just look at the Hollins videos of people who just got done with the program, yes they are fluent, yes they are happy being fluent and this makes perfect sense but they are talking so slowly it is hard to imagine how they can keep up a conversation with a normal speaking person let alone perform duties at a job interacting with other people, talking on the phone, etc. If a person could accept how slowly they talk and be able to make people wait for him to finish and be able to not care how slowly they are getting their message across in spite of the interrupting that other people do, then people would be really successful with this program I mean in the United States the vast majority of people talk very fast, talk over each other. A person who uses the Hollins targets has to have nerves of steel and incredible patience and will power to be able to do all of this unless they were a mild stutterer in the first place like, well, the people that Hollins uses to advertise their program!!
Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI)
One Size Fits All
Feb 15, 2008
Reviewer: Guillermo from New York, NY
For 11 days you work very hard, by yourself, in a little cubical. Then, on day 12, you are told to make phone calls using the robot-like speech you have learned (for mild stutterers, like me, this can be very hard to do). That same day they take you to a mall, and they instruct you to go around the stores asking questions using what you've learned. Some people could do it, they could behave like retards in the eyes of the people at the mall (i.e. "Caaaaaaaaaaaaaan yyyyyyyyyyyou teeeeeeeeeeeeeell mmmmmmmmmmmmme thhhhhhhhe tiiiiiiiime?). But others, like me, could not. I simply could not make myself do it. That's where Hollins fails miserably, or at least where it failed for me: they treat everybody in the same way, ignoring the psychological aspects of stuttering, the years of accumulated fears, of avoidance, that each of us, some more, some less, have dealt with. Finally, their success stats are a sham. I'm sure they counted me as a success. But I was not.
Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI)
Feb 01, 2008
Reviewer: Len from New Jersey
I took the HCRI program in the 80's and even though it may be based upon sound speech principles and provide speech targets that can work when used, they however mostly fail and cannot be recreated successfully in many important social situations. The inventor of this program is Dr. Webster is a behaviorist, that is, he believes strictly in behavior modification as the only cure to solving stuttering. And even though stuttering is very amenable to his speech targets, and even though he has come up with a very important tool, he has done only half his job. I say this because, not only do the majority of people who take his program continue to have problems in using his speech targets which work ONLY in relaxed situations, Dr. Webster, when questioned about this, simply blames the stutterer for not follwing his speech target rules. Yes, Dr. Webster has come up with something very important, but his behaviorist approach as the only answer falls very short of being truly successful.
A program that was beneficial for many years
Jan 18, 2008
Reviewer: Paul from Norway
Of the many programs I've tried for relief of very severe stuttering, this one was among the best. I worked hard at the targets and practiced diligently, often daily, for 16 years. I loved the experiences of fluent speaking, and enjoyed many periods of sustained total fluency, sometimes lasting for months. But I also endured major relapses when I slacked off in practicing, and these were very frustrating. Eventually I came to the realization that I could just peacefully accept my stuttering - and that putting the time and effort into practicing and monitoring targets was no longer worth the associated pressures and relapse frustrations. I began to realize that working for consistent fluency was not essential for my current life happiness. Today I'm no longer fluent, but my average disfluency is less than it was before I entered Hollins. Though the program has flaws (no work on psychological issues), I still do recommend it for those willing to work hard to improve their fluency.
Doesn't live up to the success rates
Apr 07, 2007
Reviewer: Adrian from Glenmoore, PA
I did the original three-week program in 1997 followed by weeklong refreshers the following two years. The physical techniques made me basically fluent inside the clinic, but were basically useless outside the clinic. As a previous reviewer mentioned "leaving a calm relaxed non-judgemental environment without any means for carryover is a set up for failure." Hollins claims in their Internet advertisements that "93% gain fluency." My understanding is these numbers are taken from exit interviews inside the clinic. This number is meaningless because it is not representative of the client’s speech in the real world. The Hollins marketing is not ethical in my opinion. Hollins does a good job of teaching a good technique. But with no work on desensitization, emotional baggage, and no meaningful follow up support, I would not recommend the program.
HCRI
Feb 08, 2007
Reviewer: Ed Sandri from Gaylord, Michigan
Hollins provides speaking skills they call targets to improve the speach of the stuttering. For 12 days you practice by yourself on a computer and with other stutters. Hollins has been around for some 30+ years and there targets are based on their research on stutterers. You learn to be your own speach therapist. After you "graduate" you have access to their newsletters, refresher courses, summer alumni gathering, and online computer practicing. Yes, you have to practice when finished and the practice is tedious, but I don't know of any better method of improving and eliminating stuttering. I met some great people there. I do recommend Hollins.
Why intensive fluency programs fail adults who stutter
Jul 14, 2006
Reviewer: Anonymous from New York, USA
I took the original Hollins Course in Virginia for 3 weeks and then a refresher at Hollins in 1990. I found the course helpful, but not maintenance offered. I also don't understand why PFSP does not offer training for SLPs. Would I recommend this course. Yes, if and only if you first find a practice group in your area with other PWS and a SLP who can provide maintenance. Otherwise leaving a calm relaxed non-judgemental environment without any means for carryover is a set up for failure.
Stuttering Modification Therapy (Van Riper)
About: Charles Van Riper developed stuttering modification therapy between 1936 and 1958. The therapy focuses on reducing the speech-related fears and anxieties of adult stutterers, and modifing stuttering's core behaviors to be less physically stressful.
Evidence: About a dozen clinical trials have been published about the Stuttering Modification Therapy. However, few met current "trial quality standards," and the results were generally not impressive.
"Traditional" therapy for stuttering
March 09, 2008
Reviewer: Stutter Doc
I had Van Riper therapy in 1972. I later became an SLP and still use many elements of this program with my clients. I think of it as "old gold"… while its hard to directly confront your own stuttering, I see that as the best part… looking your "enemy" directly in the eyes. Its a struggle to get past everything that stuttering has come to mean to you at any stage in life. But dealing with it directly, as this program does, can be the most meaningful way of abandoning the "ghosts" that stuttering can create. It is very difficult work and takes time to "sink in"… but I can still remember the feeling of success and empowerment in becoming able to control my disfluencies. Today, YEARS later, and hundreds of thousands of speaking opportunities later, my fluency is very, very good and I have a lot of confidence in my speaking abilities. Some limited stuttering still remains, but it rarely, rarely, has but the slightest impact upon me and does not limit my life in any way.
Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research (ISTAR)
About: ISTAR is a prolonged speech (fluency shaping) stuttering therapy program. It is a residential therapy program in Edmonton, Canada.
Evidence: About ten clinical trials have been published about the ISTAR program. Two studies found that the program was effective for 70% of adults and teenagers, marginally effective for an additional 5%, and ineffective for 25% of stutterers.
The Stars at ISTAR
August 04, 2007
Reviewer: Fluencymom from Algonquin, IL
I traveled from Chicago to Edmonton, AB with my 15 yr old son to the ISTAR 3 week clinic. He stuttered as a preschooler, got tx and was fluent but became a severe stutter again. ISTAR is a godsend!!! The slp called us and was so warm and positive we all felt very hopeful. She really CARED about helping us. The clinic staff gave my son skills to help him increase fluency and stop a stutter and smoothly recover. The way they addressed the emotional side was also phenomenal. His slp was a former client of ISTAR. The fun part was learning how to help him and seeing him successfully practice talking on the phone, in a job interview, and give a speech in a big lecture hall. SO MANY folks ask us where he got tx to become so smooth in just 3 weeks and maintain it even in stressful situations. If you want to change your life go to ISTAR!! I've told all my fellow physicians about it. People travel from all over the world to go to ISTAR.
American Institute of Stuttering (AIS)
About: The American Institute of Stuttering is a residential therapy program in New York City.
Evidence: No studies have been published about the American Institute of Stuttering.
July 23, 2011
Reviewer: LeRoy Jones
Do not go here, this "Institute" does not offer a real stuttering program. The American Institute of Stuttering (AIS) was founded by someone who originally worked for Dr. Ronald Webster of the Hollins Communications Institute in Virginia, a real Institute associated with a University, AIS occupies a few rooms on one floor in downtown Manhattan. The Founder of AIS delivered the Hollins Precision Fluency Shaping Program (PFSP) for Ronald Webster in NYC for approx. 8 years until Dr. Webster finally determined she wasn't delivering it correctly and he fired her. I went to the NYC PFSP in the 80's and knew her. And went back there several times for refreshers. What I found out the hard way is that she never understood Dr. Webster's stuttering program, she never delivered it correctly and she probably was never really interested to deliver it correctly. She was too heavily influenced by her experiences at the Option Institute in Mass. that she heavily attended. The Option Insitute has a cult like environment led by a charasmatic leader who provides advice on how to be happy and successful using such techniques as "don't judge yourself or others" which you are supposed to do constantly all day long (how practical is that?). With respect to her and Dr. Webster, she was fired as I said and she then started the Total Immersion Fluency Program (a rather bold title don't you think?) using the same information and technique provided by the PFSP without their important feedback computer to judge your voice and used the same material in new manuals with her name on it. SHE ADVERTISED HER NEW PROGRAM "AS THE RESULT OF TRAVELING ALL OVER THE WORLD"!! I took this program and she told me before I came that it was all new material!! She had dropped one PFSP speech target and I trusted her and then I walked around stuttering out of control until I put it back in and then my speech improved. She then continued to change the PFSP program until it was called the American Institute for Stuttering program. The AIS Founder seems to think that she has the "option" to change the speech program she delivers for approx. $4,000 whenever she wants to and experiment with people who are hoping to have control over their speech as often as she wants. The American Institute for Stuttering program is yet one more program that the Founder came up with that does not work. But AIS has a board of famous people who stutter whose speech problem was mild in the first place (obviously) who you would think is active in the AIS stuttering program providing tips and such but they are not, they are just on the Board for show. The AIS program is a buffet of all and any techniques for stuttering determined over the past 100 years including a small part of the Hollins program (hey, what the heck!). AIS is actually guilty of false advertising indirectly since one of course assumes that either the people on the Board took one of her programs or that they use techniques that are in the AIS program or that YOU will be able to eventually talk like them. This is not true. One major part of the AIS program is heavy use of Option techniques to reduce the nervousness associated with stuttering. Their effectiveness is questionable. The AIS program is actually a glorification of the Founders personal experiences at the Option Institute where now SHE is the guru of HER Institute. People believe she is wonderful because they believe she has the right idea that stuttering cannot be cured or really controlled (it is neurological and genetically based) and that she is wonderful enough to know that and tell them that which is not true. People love her because she doesn't make them do the unfortunate tuff work which one has to do to control stuttering (which the people on the Board may have done) and gives them recognition for their stuttering problem and "emotional" support for the problem. AIS is a mini Option Institute and monument to the Founder of AIS who had an uncanny knack for charming people of all backgrounds and professions to do things for her like be on her board. The main stuttering technique is RANDOM FLUENCY MANAGEMENT. Go to Hollins and work hard.
Ross Barrett's Precision Fluency Shaping Program (PFSP)
About: The Ross Barrett's PFSP is a prolonged speech (fluency shaping) stuttering therapy program. It is a 12-day residential therapy program in Norfolk, Virginia.
Evidence: No clinical trials have been published about the program and the website makes no claims about effectiveness.
An outstanding Precision Fluency clinic
January 19, 2008
Reviewer: Paul from Norway
This is a review of the Precision Fluency Shaping clinic run by Ross Barrett at the Eastern Virginia Medical Center in Norfolk: I attended Ross's weeklong refresher programs 4 or 5 times during the period 1988-1992, after earlier completing the full 3-week program at Hollins. Ross is a person who stutters, a speech pathologist, and a master at use of Precision Fluency targets. He is knowledgeable and personally experienced in practical aspects of fluency shaping, and able to give additional insights into target use that Hollins, with its more rigid structure and all-fluent clinicians, cannot. In addition, I found Ross to be a sensitive, friendly and caring therapist. Unlike Hollins, he understands that relapses should not be blamed on the client, and that targets cannot be maintained 100% of the time. For my assessment of Precision Fluency Shaping in general, see my review of Hollins. For any who wish to learn those fluency shaping targets with a master, I recommend this clinic.
Camperdown Program
About: The Camperdown Program is a Australian prolonged speech (fluency shaping) stuttering therapy program for teenagers and adults.
Evidence:A 2003 study found that for 16 of the 30 subjects, stuttering was below 5% at the finish of the program. No long-term follow-up was measured.
June 13, 2011
Reviewer: Tom
The Camperdown Program is a fluency shaping program. Camperdown is about using prolonged Speech. You watch a video demonstrating fluency shaping and prolonged speech techniques and you try to model and learn how to talk like the person in the video.
You read the rainbow speech over and over and over again as a way to learn prolonged speech implicitly. The learning was quick.
The learning is supposed to be implicit vs. explicit. Since you are learning by watching a model and demonstration of the prolonged speech technique.
One weakness of the program is that the stutterer is fluent inside the clinic while reading using prolonged speech. But what about normal everyday conversations outside the clinic???
So there was a lack of transfer from inside the clinic to outside real-world situations.
But you are fluent 100% inside the clinic reading…
However, I don't stutter much while reading something anyway…
You also rate your stuttering severity on a scale from 1 (no stuttering) to 10 (worst stuttering). And the goal is to try to maintain a goal of 1 (no stuttering). The Camperdown program is highly unnatural.
Other Therapy Programs
An operant-based fluency program that I "failed"
January 19, 2008
Reviewer: Paul from Norway
This is a review of an operant-based fluency shaping program, founded by Israel Goldiamond, that existed for many decades at the University of Chicago. I tried this program in 1977, hoping to find relief from very severe stuttering. Their strategy was to teach a simple fluency technique based on breathing and phrasing units, and then expect that clients would simply "choose" to use this technique in all situations rather than stutter. Any failure in a situation was regarded as a voluntary choice to stutter to gain some hidden advantage. I learned their technique inside the clinic, but had great difficulty applying it in real-life situations. The clinical staff tried mightily to figure out "why" I was still "choosing to stutter" in the outside world, when it was clear from my in-clinic speech that I had learned the technique. But I knew that I was NOT voluntarily choosing to stutter. A few months later I was told that I was among the 2% of clients who had "failed" their program.
Technology
Casa Futura Technologies
About: Casa Futura Technologies makes altered auditory feedback (AAF) and biofeedback devices for treating stuttering.
Evidence: About twenty clinical trials have been published or presented at conferences. Casa Futura Technologies devices are effective in stressful speaking situations [22] [21] as well as oral reading. [24] [36] [37] [38] [39] Over time, the devices train carryover fluency and don't lose effectiveness. [24] [25] No studies reported problems with background noise. The devices use DAF, FAF, and MAF; noise-cancelling microphones; wide frequency range binaural receivers; and connect to telephones. The devices have been tested and certified regarding hearing safety and other factors by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and ESZ Elektronik-Service GmbH (CE Mark).
Helps a lot!
February 02, 2008
Reviewer: Miss A from Seattle WA
[The Basic Fluency System] helps me so much when it comes to making phone calls and talking on the phone. I achieve perfect fluency about 90% of the time. The rest of the time I can still get out of a stutter more easily. However I don't like to wear it when I'm speaking in person because it is very loud and uncomfortable. Also it is big and bulky and kinda embarassing. I every little noise is magnefied. I prefer just using it for phonecalls. Even though it works just as well when i wear it and speak to people in person. I have heard of people that use devices consistently when they first purchase them and then the effects start to wear off. I have not had this problem because i only wear it during phone calls and when i really need it. It costs $1500.00 insurance covers it however it is a very slow process I bought mine in may of 2007 and I am still waiting to get reimbursed from the insurance company.
Very useful and effective device
January 19, 2008
Reviewer: Paul from Norway
I found [the Desktop Fluency System, which is no longer made] to be most helpful and effective, as well as highly versatile. I obtained my first model in 1995, and for the first month I used it my phone conversation (which often can be severely disfluent) was always fluent without exception. After the first month, I did experience a partial wearing-off effect, but the device still remained quite effective, and nearly always reduced my disfluency on bad days and enabled me to speak fluently on good days. The device has a variety of settings of different types of altered feedback, and can also combine them - so it was interesting to experiment to find what worked the best, and I changed settings around often. There's also a useful adjustable feature for self-practice which judges the intensity of one's voice onsets or phonation - I made use of this often in practicing fluency shaping targets. By far this is the best fluency device I've encountered. I did find, though, that it's not compatible with all phone systems.
SpeechEasy
About: SpeechEasy devices provide delayed auditory feedback (AAF) and frequency-shifting devices for treating stuttering.
Evidence: About ten clinical trials have been published or presented at conferences. SpeechEasy devices are effective for reading aloud and monologues in quiet speech clinics [23] [26] [27] but ineffective in stressful conversations. [23] Over time, the devices don't train carryover fluency. [26] Some studies found that SpeechEasy devices lose effectiveness over time [28] [23] while other studies found no adaptation. [26] SpeechEasy devices have problems with background noise. [23] SpeechEasy devices use a type of AAF that has never been proven to reduce stuttering; microphones that pick up background noise; and receivers that are monaural, incapable of reproducing the full frequency range of human speech, and have a maximum volume (105 db) with the potential of causing hearing loss. [19] The devices lack a telephone interface.
Fluency Master
About: The Fluency Master device amplifies bone-transmitted phonation.
Evidence: One clinical trial [17] was presented at a conference. The device was stuttering 14% in conversation without therapy.
Fluent for a few months, then a total wearing-off
January 19, 2008
Reviewer: Paul from Norway
I rate this product squarely in the middle as an overall average, but by segments of time the ratings would be: First month - 5, second month - 4, third month - 2, after that - 0. I obtained my Fluency Master in 1991, when in the throes of very severe stuttering. Immediately I was able to speak perfectly fluently. I kept the device on all the time when speaking, and my amazing total fluency continued for many weeks. During that time I relied totally on the Fluency Master for fluency. After six weeks small disfluencies started creeping back into my speech, and these quickly worsened. Two months into wearing the device, my stuttering was back. I decided to then combine the device with practice and monitoring of fluency shaping targets (perhaps I should have done that from the beginning). The device was moderately helpful for another month, but no longer gave near-miraculous effects. After three months, the Fluency Master was of no help whatsoever. The wearing off was complete.
Edinburgh Masker
About: The Edinburgh Masker synthesized a sine wave synchronized to the user's fundamental frequency of phonation, i.e., a humming sound matching your vocal pitch.
Evidence: Two clinical trials found that the device reduced stuttering about 50% [15], and that the effectiveness didn't diminish over a period of six months [16].
Edinburgh Masker 1984ish
October 29, 2007
Reviewer: Bob Paton from Edinburgh, Scotland
I imagine this is no longer made. I still have mine although I use a casfutura device now. It helped my speech enormously. Downside was being unable to hear when speaking. Best part was it was always beneficial. Most conventional therapy wears off after a while and I've spent thousands on them.
Medications
Vitamin B-1 (Thiamin)
Evidence: Vitamin B-1 is effective for young children who stutter, and effective for about 30% of adults who stutter.
Haloperidol (Haldol)
About: Haloperidol (Haldol) is a dopamine antagonist.
Evidence:About ten clinical trials have been published. Results were mixed.
A 1970 drug experience with horrendous side effects
January 18, 2008
Reviewer: Paul from Norway
I understand that Haldol has long ceased being prescribed for people who stutter, as far more sophisticated drugs have been developed. My experience with it back in 1970 (when I was a teenager) was horrible. A neurologist prescribed it for my very severe stuttering. I took it several times daily for two weeks. I felt that my speech did improve a little, but that could have been simply due to the natural ebb and flow of stuttering cycles. After a few weeks, my head started moving around from side to side - and I was not the one moving it. Not drawing a connection, I naively took the medication one more day. Then I began to lose control over every muscle in my body - my head and neck violently twisted around; my hands fluttered up and down; my whole body was shaking. It took a combination of three drugs to finally quiet the symptoms. Afterwards the neurologist tried again, combining Haldol with its antidote. This time there were no effects at all, neither positive nor negative.
Risperidone (Risperdal)
About: Risperidone (Risperdal) is a dopamine antagonist.
Evidence: One clinical trial found a 50% reduction in stuttering.
Stay far far away if you're a guy
December 30, 2006
Reviewer: Charlie from Philadelphia, PA
Risperdal can cause a situation called hyperprolactinemia. For guys, what this can translate into is impotence, loss of libido, an inability to achieve spontaneous erections, weak erectile quality, and difficulty maintaining an erection. The situation can lead some men to lactate, and, supposedly, can lead to hypogonadism (your testicles stop producing testosterone) and azoospermia (your body stops producing viable sperm). All of the anti-psychotics seem to cause some kind of sexual dysfunction (in women and in men), but the sexual side effects of Risperdal seem to be the most severe, because of the receptors Risperdal targets. I've been on Risperdal for two months and am going to get off as soon as possible. Ask your doctor for something else if he suggests putting you on Risperdal. Also, research the web…you'll see what I'm talking about. Pretty scary stuff.
Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
About: Olanzapine (Zyprexa) is a dopamine antagonist.
Evidence: One clinical trial found a 33% reduction in stuttering.
