International Stuttering Awareness Day is upon us, giving us the opportunity to highlight the key issues around stammering and stammering therapy. We have seen a welcome wave of media exposure, from Felicity Baker’s excellent BBC programme to therapists’ appearances on the morning news and the afternoon radio, a special edition in RCSLT’s autumn Bulletin, and many exciting projects and events lined up for ISAD. More and more dialogue can only lead to positive change.
So, where does the National Dysfluency CEN sit within all of this? I think our role is a fundamental one. With 276 members last year, over a hundred people regularly in attendance at our Study Days, and outstanding international speakers and researchers such as Ross Menzies, Kathleen Scaler Scott, and Vivian Sisskin, the CEN committee is working hard to provide a platform for the continued development of our knowledge and expertise. Our roles and responsibilities allow us to work and live in a way which aligns perfectly with this year’s ISAD logo: ‘Speak the change you wish to see’.
This year’s ISAD is a time for action but also a time for personal reflection. As with everything, the more voices there are, the more change we will see. I would like to thank the current National Dysfluency CEN Committee for their continued hard work, their dedication, and for their generosity with their time over the past year. All posts on the CEN committee are voluntary, yet the CEN is achieving amazing things thanks to a collective effort. Here is to another great year.
