Stuttering and its Management: What the Brain Tells Us

In Stuttering and Its Management, William Webster shares his academic research into the brain mechanisms underlying stuttering, as well as his lifelong journey as a person who stutters. Webster explores the differences in patterns of brain activation in those who stutter and describes his Two-Factor Interference Model which can inform strategies for the effective management of stuttering. Stuttering and Its Management offers a number of practical approaches to improving speech fluency.

People who stutter will gain insight into the cause and nature of their stuttering, and family and friends, teachers, and mentors will gain insight into how best to encourage and support those who stutter. The book may also be useful for students and professionals who work with people who stutter. Webster is a testament to the fact that stuttering does not have to limit career choices, activities, or the social life of a person who stutters.

William G. Webster, PhD, whose photo appears on the front cover, is a retired university professor, a former dean, and a person who stutters. The first twenty-two years of his career included being a professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, where he established an active research program focussed on the brain mechanisms underlying stuttering. The results of that research have been published in journal articles and edited book chapters, have been presented at professional conferences, and form the core of this book. He co-authored with Marie Poulos in 1989 a clinical manual entitled Facilitating Fluency: Transfer Strategies for Adult Stuttering Treatment Programs. In 1991, he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, and in 2002, Director of the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Western Ontario (now Western University) in London, Ontario. From 2005 until his retirement in 2016, he was Dean of the Faculty of Health Professions at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

He has four grown children and resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with his wife, Anne.