The integration of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and guided metaphors with behavioral models of SLP delivery is often vital to unleashing confidence and the courage to communicate. This course will demonstrate how stories can be used as metaphors to help improve outcomes for individuals with speech disorders.

This course will review scenarios that might result in difficult discussions with parents and children in stuttering assessment and treatment. Strategies for building effective therapeutic partnerships will be discussed.

This course will provide a framework for the assessment of young children who stutter. A sample client will be introduced and a treatment plan following an indirect approach to stuttering will be described.

Although counseling is an integral component of stuttering therapy, many speech-language pathologists have received little to no formal counseling training. The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of various counseling theories, principles and techniques that can be integrated into stuttering therapy. Attendees will gain a basic understanding of how to practice theory-driven counseling in order to help children and adults who stutter manage negative or undesired life experiences associated with their stuttering. An overview of stuttering treatment for older children and adults will also be provided.

When working with young children who stutter, it can be difficult to determine which children need treatment and which children will recover without formal intervention. This course will discuss risk factors for young children who stutter that help determine the treatment plan following a comprehensive evaluation.

Fluency disorders (i.e., developmental stuttering, late onset stuttering, cluttering) have a relatively low prevalence, but 30-40% of children who stutter show speech sound disorders and 15-30% show language disorders. Thus, it is incumbent upon us to plan and implement improvement in both or multiple disorders. This course will focus on how best to do that.

This course will provide a brief overview on the construct of executive functions, in particular those that may relate to childhood stuttering. Empirical evidence on the role of executive functions in childhood stuttering as well as clinical implications for assessment and treatment will be discussed.

This course will explore the use of meditation and mindfulness practices as it applies to pediatric speech-language pathology. Participants will be provided with a review of the research and instruction for practical application in the pediatric population.

Many of the assessment instruments we use are norm-referenced tests that are standardized. There are certain statistical properties needed to understand the psychometric criteria of the tests, which is part of being an informed consumer. This course will help SLPs understand fundamental concepts of descriptive statistics so they can interpret test scores correctly and summarize quantitative data about their clients or patients.

This course will provide specific examples of desensitization activities an SLP may use when working with school-aged children who stutter. The rationale for using these type of activities, and examples of measurable goals and objectives an SLP can include in an individualized education program (IEP) or treatment plan, will be provided.