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William Paterson University Professor to Discuss Facts and Myths About Stuttering on November 10

--Lecture is sponsored by Friends of the Cheng Library at William Paterson University

The facts and myths about the communication disorder called stuttering—which afflicts more than 68 million people worldwide—will be the topic of a lecture by Jim Tsiamtsiouris, assistant professor and chair of communication disorders and sciences at William Paterson University, on Thursday, November 10 at 7 p.m. in the Cheng Library Auditorium on the William Paterson University campus in Wayne. Admission is free. The lecture is sponsored by the University’s Friends of the Cheng Library.

The program, titled “The King’s Speech: Facts and Myths About Stuttering in Adults and Children,” will explore the factors such as genetics, neurophysiology, child development, and family dynamics that are thought to contribute to the development of stuttering, as well as how a speech-language pathologist can help those who stutter make significant progress toward improved communication. Issues surrounding stuttering came to the forefront last year due to the Academy Award-winning movie The King’s Speech, which focused on the relationship between Britain’s King George VI and his Australian speech therapist.

Tsiamtsiouris is a specialist in the treatment of stuttering disorders. He has published several papers on stuttering and its effects, and is currently collaborating on a multi-state research project with colleagues at the University of Vermont and the University of Houston to investigate developmental factors and the effects of early intervention on children who stutter between the ages of three and six. The goal is to learn more about the factors that contribute to the development and recovery of childhood stuttering.

He is also a clinical supervisor with William Paterson University’s Speech and Hearing Clinic, part of the University’s Department of Communication Disorders, which offers services to children and adults with a variety of communication and hearing disorders. Undergraduate and graduate students in the University’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in communication disorders conduct more than one thousand speech-language-hearing screenings each year under the supervision of department faculty. The clinic provides therapy to approximately two hundred families from northern New Jersey.

For additional information, call the Cheng Library at 973-720-2113 or email lib-chengfriends@wpunj.edu.

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