Author: Vikesh

NDIS and Stuttering

Published on by Vikesh

The Australian Speak Easy Association (ASEA) is exploring ways that members may be able to access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and have already commenced interaction with senior officers of NDIS the nature of stuttering.

The NDIS is a Federal government scheme designed to assist with the provision of grants to persons who have permanent disabilities.

ASEA is seeking to find out from people who stutter (PWS) what their experiences have been in trying to become an eligible participant for NDIS programs.

If you, or anyone you know, have had experiences with NDIS in seeking help with a stutter, the ASEA would like to hear about your experiences.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpMXNUOqULO0Eq4l3zVaTyg9tFebnkAUO8HlJrRBP15uz4MQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Research Study Request

Published on by Vikesh

The ASEA Advisory Board has reviewed this study and verified current approval from the relevant ethics committee/s.

Recruitment for clinical trial of Lidcombe Program via webcam for school aged children

Dear ASEA Community,

I am supervising a PhD student from the University of Melbourne who is conducting a treatment trial of a webcam version of the Lidcombe Program for school-age children who stutter.

As you know, the paucity of stuttering treatments available for this age group compared to others is a significant issue for our field. In addition, these Covid times have reminded us of the need for research into telehealth practices for stuttering treatment to increase access to services. This project is therefore making an important contribution to the evidence base.

The primary aim of the study is to establish the short- and longer-term effect sizes, the rate of relapse, and whether these can be predicted clinically. As part of this project, we are looking to recruit participants who meet the following criteria:

  • Children between 6–12 years of age.
  • Children diagnosed as stuttering by a speech pathologist, or parents suspect that their child is stuttering.
  • Parents and children who speak proficient English.
  • Children who do not have a diagnosis of any severe language disorder or intellectual disability.
  • Children who have not received stuttering treatment in the previous 6 months.

If you have families that would be eligible and interested to participate, please forward them the details of the student researcher.

Georgie Johnson

Email: gjjo@student.unimelb.edu.au

Phone: 0408 010 479

Your support for this project is very much appreciated.

Best wishes, Elaina

Elaina Kefalianos (PhD)

LeadTeaching Program & Senior Lecturer Speech Pathology

Vice-President, Stuttering Association for the Young: Australia

Honorary Fellow, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute

Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology | Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences

Level 1, 550 Swanston Street | Victoria 3052 Australia

T: 03 8344 4859 E: ekefalianos@unimelb.edu.au

Stuttering Employer Awareness: Brisbane City Council

Published on by Vikesh

Thank you Brisbane City Council for the opportunity to educate your recruitment team about stuttering.  

  • Brisbane City Council is one of the largest local governments in the Asia Pacific region with over 8000 employees.
  • Delivered an information session where I shared my lived experiences with stuttering with the recruitment team as well as discussed the best way for them to support people who stutter (and overall communication differences) during the interview process.
  • Took part in a video interview and provided feedback on how to make the process more suitable to people who stutter; for example adjusting the allocated time per question so that disfluencies in speech are not disadvantaged in the video interview.
  • Provided a virtual screening of the documentary film When I Stutter which shares the lives of 19 people who stutter over the course of 4.5 years and how it has impacted their lives.

If your organisation is interested in learning more about stuttering, please get in touch at president@speakeasy.org.au.

Speak Freely Virtual Meetup: Nov 2020

Published on by Vikesh

This is a casual online event for anyone who has an interest in stuttering, including people who stutter, families, speech pathologists (and students) and friends.

Come and speak freely using whatever tools you want to (or don’t want to) use without judgement. Share your stories and journey.

23 November 2020

7:30pm QLD
8:30pm NSW, VIC, TAS, ACT
5:30pm WA

Registration required

Register here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Zoom will be used for the video call but an account is not required to join.

Sam finds the right words for his speech

Published on by Vikesh

https://stamma.org/your-voice/i-dont-suffer-stammer-i-rock-my-stammer?fbclid=IwAR0TrzZjcqXPzt8eeTdDCnF3TN-AKC0Hr1Eb3an-c0bVrdUs1za9QEWa9ek

Thank you Sam for finding your right words about your speech.

Check out the link for the Stamma article and a video of Sam reading his poem.

Dear World

I want the world to know
I don’t ‘suffer’ from a stammer
Your negative words hit hard
Like someone with a hammer

Comments sometimes negative
You use words like weak and bad
I’ll let you into a secret
Your comments make me mad

We celebrate our differences
Be yourself and I’ll be me
If everyone was the same
A boring place this world would be

There are so many positives
And useful words to use
The unkind words and negatives
We must all learn to lose

We’re courageous, we’re strong
We’re important and we’re brave
By using positive words
A brighter future we will pave

I know I rock my stammer
That’s how I’d describe me
It’s nothing to be ashamed of
And I want you all to see

I would never want to change
The person that I am
If I didn’t have a stammer
Then I certainly wouldn’t be Sam

You cannot fix a stammer
Bumps and pauses you will hear
I’ll just use some more skills
To help me sound more clear

Let’s all be more positive
And change our point of view
These things will only happen
If I have the help from you

Your job is not to judge
And make sure you do not shame
God made us all so different
And none of us are the same

Everyone made so special
All individual and unique
My superpower being
The special way that I speak!