The Valsalva Stuttering Network

If you are a person who stutters (stammers), do words sometimes feel like "brick walls"? Do you repeat, prolong, or force on initial consonants? Do you sometimes choke on words that start with vowels?  Do your blocks get stronger the harder you try to break through them?

This website will propose new explanations and solutions to these common stuttering behaviors, based on the author’s recent clinical research on Valsalva Stuttering Therapy. It will show that the problem is not in saying the consonant, but rather the neurological substitution of effort in place of phonation of the word’s vowel sound. This reaction may be triggered by the anticipation of difficulty or the urge to use effort to reduce anxiety.

Stuttering (or stammering), in its most common form, may involve the stutterer's instinctive activation of the body's Valsalva mechanism in an attempt to force out words when he or she anticipates difficulty or feels the need to use extra effort to speak properly.  This possibility has been generally ignored by speech therapists and is rarely addressed by current stuttering therapy.  Because persons who stutter aren't taught to control their Valsalva mechanism, many continue to have difficulty controlling their stuttering blocks and often relapse after therapy, without understanding why they are unable to stop stuttering.

The purpose of the Valsalva-Stuttering Network is to promote research and education about stuttering and the Valsalva mechanism and to develop effective stuttering therapies and techniques to reduce the Valsalva mechanism's interference with speech.

The Valsalva-Stuttering Network welcomes everyone who has an interest in stuttering and/or the Valsalva mechanism, including persons who stutter, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and other professionals, and researchers.

In addition to its possible involvement in stuttering, the Valsalva mechanism is also associated with blocking or "stuttering" in the playing of brass musical instruments, such as the trombone.  Therefore, the participation of brass musicians is also welcome.

About the Webmaster . . .

William D. Parry, J.D., M.A., CCC-SLP

A licensed speech-language pathologist and trial lawyer.  Author of Understanding & Controlling Stuttering: A Comprehensive New Approach Based on the Valsalva Hypothesis.

Bill Parry is a licensed speech-language pathologist and trial lawyer, with 25 years experience in stuttering support and advocacy.  He received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was an Editor of the Law Review, and his Master's Degree in Speech, Language and Hearing Science from Temple University.  He is ASHA certified in Speech-Language Pathology and works as a speech therapist (as well as a lawyer) in the Philadelphia area.

After struggling most of his life with a severe stuttering problem, Parry became frustrated with existing theories and therapies (which did not help him to stop stuttering), and began his own research and experimentation. This resulted in his "Valsalva Hypothesis" (published in the Journal of Fluency Disorders in December 1985) and a therapeutic approach called "Valsalva Control," which dramatically improved his fluency.  This enabled him to become a successful trial lawyer in Philadelphia.  He has been listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Law.

Parry founded the Philadelphia Area Chapter of the National Stuttering Association in 1985 and has led its support group meetings for more than 15 years.  He served for six years on the Board of Directors of the National Stuttering Association and as Chair of its Advocacy Committee.  He has appeared on TV and radio talk shows and, in 1987, received the "Spirit of Philadelphia Award" from WCAU-TV Channel 10 News. He has given workshops and presentations on the Valsalva Hypothesis locally, at NSA conventions, at the Third International Convention for People Who Stutter in 1992, and at the World Congress of People Who Stutter, in 1995 in Sweden, at the International Stuttering Association's 9th World Congress for People Who Stutter, in 2011, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and elsewhere. A preliminary edition of his book, Understanding and Controlling Stuttering, first appeared in 1992.  The Completed Edition was published in 1994 and the Second Edition was published in 2000, which is now in its fifth updated printing.  It has been the NSA's best-selling book and one of the most popular books about stuttering on Amazon.com.  His book has been published in Korean by the South Korean Speech and Hearing Association, and is also being published in Russian. 

Parry now provides in-person stuttering therapy in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area and over the Internet by webcam, where permitted by law.  For further therapy information, go to Stuttering Therapy and Counseling (www.stutteringtherapist.com), or e-mail him at stutteringtherap@aol.com to arrange a free consultation.

Contact Information:

 William D. Parry, Esquire, CCC-SLP
 

A licensed speech-language pathologist and trial lawyer, offering stuttering therapy and counseling (including Valsalva Control stuttering therapy) in person in Philadelphia and over the Internet via webcam (subject to applicable law).  For further information, e-mail him at contact@valsalva.org.
 

Office: 1608 Walnut Street, Suite 900, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Mobile phone: 215-620-6792
E-mail: stutteringtherap@aol.com

Websites:

Stuttering Therapy and Counseling: www.stutteringtherapist.com
        E-mail: stutteringtherap@aol.com

The Valsalva-Stuttering Network: www.valsalva.org
        E-mail: contact@valsalva.org
Beating Stuttering Blocks: www.stutterblock.com
Stuttering and the Law: www.stutterlaw.com