Appearing on CNBC or Fox News is part of a typical day’s work for Riverdale Park, Maryland resident Alan Tonelson, research fellow for the United States Business and Industry Council.  As one of the country’s leading globalization policy experts, Tonelson is regularly called upon by national media to offer his insights and debate potential policy solutions with other analysts.

His compelling on-air commentary during newscasts and interviews resonates with conviction. He speaks eloquently in front of crowds and exudes confidence as he advocates for policies that strengthen domestic manufacturing to revitalize America’s long-neglected productive industries.

No one would know that Tonelson has a stuttering condition that he has lived with since grade school. Like many who stutter, he tried different types of speech therapy while growing up. None resulted in lasting improvements.

“I would have good days and bad days. There was no way to predict what was going to happen with my speech,” Tonelson explained. “By the time I was in high school, I had accepted the fact that this is my lot in life and I would just have to deal with my stuttering.”

Stuttering afflicts three million people in the U.S. and 66 million worldwide, according to the National Institutes of Health. The condition occurs when speech muscles inappropriately contract and jump out of control during attempts to speak. Stuttering ranges in severity and often hampers educational and career aspirations, inhibits social growth, and serves as a barrier to people reaching their full potential in life.

Although a determined Tonelson decided he wasn’t going to let his stuttering stand in the way, he readily admits that his speech condition guided some significant life choices. As a student at Princeton University, he joined the college newspaper in hopes of a print journalism career because “I mistakenly thought it would enable me to write for living and wouldn’t put a premium on using speech.”  Tonelson quickly learned that reporting requires constant telephone and in-person interviewing.  Although he performed well enough in college journalism and his first reporting job after graduation, he became increasingly concerned that his speech might limit his career possibilities.

Then he heard about a physically based stuttering treatment program, developed by scientists at Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI – www.stuttering.org ) in Roanoke, Virginia. HCRI offered a unique therapy approach that focused on retraining faulty speech muscle movements that cause stuttering to create new muscle activities that enable fluent speech.

“HCRI’s treatment was different than anything else I had tried. It made sense to me because it was based on physiology and not psychology,” Tonelson explained. “I attended the treatment program and saw a dramatic increase in my fluency. The therapy did its job.”

HCRI’s program involves 12 days of intensive stuttering treatment where participants work one-on-one with specially trained clinicians to learn new speech motor skills. Through detailed steps, individuals learn how to reconstruct distorted speech muscle behaviors to generate fluent speech. Then once fluency is achieved in the clinic, participants learn how to transfer their new-found speaking abilities into everyday life.

“We have researched thousands of stuttering cases since HCRI’s doors opened in 1972. Data has consistently shown that stuttering is a physically based disorder and needs to be treated as such,” said HCRI Founder and President Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D.

HCRI pioneered the concept of physically based treatment for stuttering more than 30 years ago and has continued to enhance the therapy program over the years. Advanced electronics and computers have been incorporated into the treatment regime to enhance the ease of learning and retaining fluent speech. Ninety-three percent of HCRI clients achieve fluency by the end of treatment. Follow-up studies show 70 to 75% retain fluency for the long term.

Underscoring the importance of physically based treatment for stuttering, last month the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a groundbreaking study by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders that confirmed a genetic link to stuttering. HCRI was a participant in this key research initiative, which dispelled long-standing assumptions that stuttering is caused by stress or psychological issues.

According to Webster, “Physically based therapy takes hard work and commitment. Clients leave our center with all the tools they need to control their stuttering and remain fluent for a lifetime. Yet for treatment to work over time, they must continue to practice their new speech skills on a regular basis when they return home.”

To maintain his fluency, Tonelson joined a speech practice group in Washington D.C., comprised of HCRI stuttering therapy clients, and participated actively for nearly 20 years. The group meets weekly to practice specific speech skills learned in therapy and help one another maintain fluency. In addition to organized practice groups, HCRI offers extensive post-therapy support services to all program participants.

“HCRI’s physically based treatment has been a life-changer for me,” Tonelson said. “I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing now without it.”

In addition to his regular television appearances, Tonelson uses his fluid, persuasive communication skills on national radio programs to offer perspectives on economic and foreign policy issues. He has given presentations for universities, government agencies and business organizations around the globe. His articles and commentary have appeared in leading publications including Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, and others. Tonelson is a columnist for The Washington Times and IndustryToday.com, and author of a book on globalization called “The Race to the Bottom.”

About HCRI

Hollins Communications Research Institute, founded in 1972 by Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D., has grown into a world-leading center for the investigation and treatment of stuttering. The 501 (c) (3) nonprofit institute is unique from other stuttering organizations in that work focuses on developing scientifically based treatment methods, as well as administering stuttering therapy.

HCRI offers 17 stuttering therapy programs annually and has treated more than 5,700 people from across the U.S. and 23 other countries. Clients include John Stossel of Fox News; Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons; and Annie Glenn, wife of Senator and Astronaut John Glenn. HCRI is located at 7851 Enon Drive, Roanoke, Virginia, 24019. For more information, visit www.stuttering.org. Contact HCRI at admin@stuttering.org or 540-265-5650.

Individuals seeking help for stuttering will find a variety of treatment approaches available ranging from intensive therapy programs to special fluency devices. To help people who stutter consider their treatment options, not-for-profit Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI) has developed a recommended list of questions to ask stuttering treatment providers. The provider responses will help individuals make informed decisions about which course of stuttering therapy will best meet their needs.

“Stuttering is a malady that is surrounded by a wealth of theories and opinions about its nature and possible causes.  As a result, there are a variety of treatment options and techniques – all of which have varying levels of success,” said HCRI Founder and President Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D.  “Having a set of questions to use to evaluate different treatment options can be an invaluable tool to help people who stutter objectively determine the best treatment provider and approach for their condition.”

Individuals seeking help for stuttering should investigate a number of therapy approaches and providers before making a treatment decision. Roanoke, Virginia-based HCRI recommends asking providers the following questions to facilitate the decision-making process.

QUESTIONS FOR EVALUATING STUTTERING THERAPY OPTIONS:

Depth and Breadth of Experience

• Does the provider exclusively work with issues related to stuttering?
• How long has the provider been administering stuttering therapy to clients?
• What are the credentials of the provider?

• How many stuttering clients have been served?

Treatment Approach

• Is the stuttering treatment methodology based on the provider’s own analysis of objective methods that produce fluent speech?
• What is the length of treatment?
• What is the cost of treatment?
• What is the therapy drop out rate?

Stuttering Therapy Success Rate

• What percentage of clients achieved fluency at the conclusion of the program?
• What are the longer term therapy follow-up results?
• What percentage of clients would recommend the provider’s treatment program to others?

“We encourage everyone to research their treatment options and make informed decisions about stuttering therapy. Taking the time to consider the experience, approach and success rates of different stuttering therapists will help ensure the best possible fluency outcomes,” Dr. Webster added.

About HCRI

Hollins Communications Research Institute (www.stuttering.org), founded in 1972 by Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D., has grown into a world-leading center for stuttering research and therapy innovation.  The nonprofit institute is unique from other stuttering organizations in that work focuses on developing scientifically based treatment methods, as well as administering stuttering therapy.  HCRI is located at 7851 Enon Drive, Roanoke, Virginia, 24019 and can be contacted by emailing admin@stuttering.org or calling 540-265-5650.

Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI) Founder Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D. talks about what makes HCRI’s approach to stuttering therapy distinct from other stuttering treatment providers.

HCRI is a unique and thoroughly special place that works exclusively on stuttering — a problem that is unique to humans and is one of mankind’s most ancient disorders. At HCRI, we originated the modern, systematic behavioral treatment of stuttering and continue to discover new methods that improve upon quality and reliability in the treatment of stuttering. The key to this progress has been our insistence on dealing with stuttering via objective, physically oriented research and treatment methods.

When we share that HCRI has treated more than 6,300 people who stutter, we are not just reporting an impressive statistic. We are communicating our team’s breadth of experience successfully treating people with an array of stuttering types and severities, as well as a broad range of personalities, attitudes, intellectual capacities, and learning styles.

We have learned how to create well-defined therapy protocols that are effective with very large numbers of persons who stutter. This means that HCRI clinicians have almost certainly successfully treated persons who possessed attributes closely similar to yours.

The number of stutterers we have treated also indicates that HCRI has achieved a depth of knowledge with stuttering that has enabled us to develop new and more powerful treatment methods. Our staff members have worked assiduously on identifying the very small behavior details that actively generate fluent speech in persons who stutter.

We have had the luxury of testing the utility of these behaviors in therapy, refining their form and function, and evaluating the impact that they have in the acquisition and long term retention of fluent speech. As a result, we know what protocols are effective in therapy and what protocols are not effective.

We have also invented new electronics that allow us to evaluate specific properties of speech on a real-time basis, while clients are acquiring fluency skills within our therapy program. Developments in electronic chips have enabled the HCRI team to create new and more useful therapy tools for fluency skills training.

The increases in reliability and objectivity made possible by these advances provide the Institute’s clients with unparalleled precision in the acquisition of fluency skills. This imparts a high level of client confidence in the quality of  new skills and, in turn, makes it easier for people to transfer fluency into new situations and to retain it upon returning home.  

This process of constant observation and constant improvement in the definition of fluency skills has carried HCRI’s stuttering therapy program beyond the levels of precision and utility represented in other forms of stuttering treatment. We have achieved insights into stuttering that we have earned through years of hard work and dedication to the analysis and treatment of this remarkable disorder.

The cumulative results of what we have learned in working with many, many different persons who stutter are incorporated in our new stuttering treatment program, the Hollins Fluency Program: Advanced Speech Reconstruction for Stuttering.

This landmark program provides powerfully effective stuttering therapy protocols that have been validated through the treatment of thousands of persons who stutter. We are able to provide a reliable treatment program in a fixed period of time (12-days), at a fixed cost, and with a known probability of a positive outcome. We have raised the bar when it comes to the treatment of stuttering.

To learn more Roanoke, Viriginia-based HCRI and the nonprofit center’s stuttering treatment program, click here. You may also call HCRI at 540-265-5650 or send an email to admin@stuttering.org for more information.

Message from HCRI Founder Ronald L. Webster, Ph.D.

One of our fundamental goals at Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI) is to create reliable, effective stuttering therapy. This means that we search for treatment protocols that work well across the spectrum of stuttering types, client personalities and learning styles.

The innovations in stuttering therapy that we create at HCRI — the detailed, systematic definition and use of fluency targets in stuttering treatment, coupled with scientifically based principles of learning, and electronic monitoring of targets — have enabled us to lead the way toward more effective help for persons who stutter.

At every step we have examined, explored and improved the focus and results of our treatment programs. We see our stuttering therapy as a replicable technology that is administered by clinical specialists who have precise knowledge of how fluency targets are acquired, integrated and transferred into everyday life.

In fact, there are two different technologies represented in our new Hollins Fluency Program: Advanced Speech Reconstruction for Stuttering. The electronic technologies are easy to visualize and understand. Here we are talking about the signal processing hardware that we invent, and the use of computers to present information and evaluate client responses during the therapy process. These advances allow us to improve the objectivity and reliability of therapy.

There is another class of technology involved at the heart of our therapy — behavioral technology. We refer here to the range of motor, emotional and cognitive behaviors that must be defined, their organization understood, and how this information can be employed correctly within the therapeutic process to foster the acquisition and retention of fluent speech. There are many different factors that must be taken into account.  For purposes of this article, I shall focus on only one such factor. This example will indicate the level of subtlety that is relevant in the development of our therapy.

At a basic level, we have identified the syllable as the fundamental working unit within therapy. However, within the formation of syllables, there are multiple behavior details that must be established correctly — alone and in combination with other behavior details occurring within the syllable. Our targets operate at this level to give motor integrity to the production of syllables. In addition, recognize that there 40 basic sounds in our language, hundreds of syllables, and tens of thousands of words. Beyond that there are hundreds of thousands of different phrases and sentences that we can produce.

To improve client learning of targets, we have studied the frequency with which syllables and words occur in our language. We have taken advantage of the natural use of syllables and words to structure the learning sequences that occur within our therapy in a manner that uses nature to assist us in reconstructing speech. However, there is more progress to be made. The more closely our training syllables in therapy approximate the syllables used in a person’s active vocabulary, the more nature assists the process.

There is insufficient space here to elaborate the very important role that behavioral analysis plays in advancing fluent speech within our program. It is clear, however, that we are on the right track in identifying details of important human behaviors that enhance the quality of our therapy program.

For more information about Roanoke, Viriginia-based HCRI and the nonprofit center’s stuttering therapy, call 540-265-5650, send an email to admin@stuttering.org  or visit www.stuttering.org .

The following information is provided by Hollins Communications Research Institute (HCRI) to help individuals who stutter effectively evaluate the array of stuttering treatments available and determine which program best meets their needs.

Stuttering results from faulty contractions of muscles that drive movements of the tongue, lip, jaw, soft palette, and vocal folds.  Since the disorder has a physical basis, it is possible to successfuly treat stuttering by teaching people how to adapt and control specific muscle behaviors to generate fluent speech.

Successful stuttering therapy outcomes require individuals to set speech goals; select a proven therapy program that matches their specific needs; and dedicate themselves to working hard and using the tools they are given to sustain fluency over time.

PROGRAM EVALUATION

When comparing stuttering treatment providers and approaches, consider the following:

Depth and Breadth of Experience

• Does the provider exclusively work with issues related to stuttering?
• How long has the provider been administering stuttering therapy to clients?
• What are the credentials of the provider?
• How many stuttering clients have been served?

Treatment Approach

• Is the stuttering treatment methodology based on the provider’s own analysis of objective methods that produce fluent speech?
• How much does the lenth and cost of the program?
• What is the therapy drop out rate?

Stuttering Therapy Success Rate

• What percentage of clients achieved fluency at the conclusion of the program?
• What percentage of clients maintained fluency over five years?
• What percentage of clients would recommend the provider’s treatment program to others?

For more information about successful therapy outcomes and to see before-and-after videos, visit HCRI’s website at www.stuttering.org .  To contact HCRI, send an email to  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.admin@stuttering.org  or call 540-265-5650.

When individuals decide to make a life-changing decision and seek stuttering therapy, they may be surprised by the cost of treatment that can reach into the thousands. Yet, thinking about cost alone is a deceptive proposition. Rather, learning and retaining fluent can have a dramatic impact on an individual’s personal and professional life.  For this reason, the cost needs to be considered in tandem with the value and outcomes of being able to speak fluently.

Cost of Stuttering

One important idea that should register firmly in the minds of persons who stutter is that stuttering has costs. These costs include lost opportunities for employment or advancement on the job lost possibilities for potentially important social contacts overwhelming discomfort, frustration and anxiety that can be engendered every day by stuttering.

The personal costs for stuttering, like it or not, are extraordinarily high. When one considers the human potential that is bottled up within a person who stutters, and the fact that this set of extraordinary capabilities is not realized at an appropriate level, the costs of stuttering are enormous.

There is yet another cost of stuttering. It involves the cost that comes from missing the simple joy of speaking freely and fluently at will.

Cost of Stuttering Treatment at HCRI

In day-to-day living, most of the objects and services that are worthwhile and necessary have a dollar cost to them. The mechanic at a car dealership is billed at $75 per hour. The cost to have a root canal and crown for an aching tooth can exceed $3,000. Braces on a child’s teeth cost about $5,000. And, the list goes on and on.

At HCRI, the cost for stuttering therapy is well below the national average. For comparison purposes, a “clinical service hour” at HCRI is 60 minutes and priced at $48 for the full hour.  However, the cost for stuttering therapy at other facilities in the U.S. can easily exceed $75 and the clinical service hour is only 45 minutes in length.

While there are stuttering therapy providers who are less costly than HCRI, it is useful to think about the purchase of other important goods and services. Wise choices are usually based on value – what you get in return for the price you pay. Rarely does the cheapest choice provide the same level of satisfaction and results that a value-based choice offers.  HCRI costs and stuttering therapy results yield high value — quite possibly the best value available anywhere.

HCRI program graduates have made a critical investment in their future through their stuttering therapy program participation.  And they are enjoying the benefits of fluent speech in their everyday lives, year over year. A single investment yielded hundreds of thousands of fluent words.

HCRI’s Flexible Payment Options

HCRI offers several options to help you meet the cost of therapy. We have payment plans, scholarships and advice on agencies that might assist in meeting your costs.

Our staff will be glad to help make HCRI’s effective stuttering therapy program available to you. Call 540-265-5650 or click here to send an email for more information.