Understanding Stammering: the BSA research committee
By Dr Tom Weidig, former chairman of the BSA research committee.

Why do I stammer? Why did I start stammering? Is there a cure for stammering? Why can I speak fluently if I am alone? Is stammering caused by psychological problems? Why do more men than women stammer? Why do so many relapse after therapy? Are some therapies or therapists better than others? Which therapy or therapist is best for me? What impact does stammering have on people's life or career? Will my children also start stammering? Is the BSA able to reach people who stammer and spread the message?

As someone who stammers himself and as a BSA trustee, I have often asked myself questions about stammering. I am sure most of you have done so, too. Do I have really good answers? No! And, I am a researcher, have a PhD in science and have read many research papers on stammering. I really think the research community is still to give a verdict, maybe never a final one but certainly a more definite one. I think it is twice as hard for us emotionally - not only do we stammer, but we also do not understand exactly why. Therapies have improved over the years through clever trial and error, but more research with a better fundamental understanding of stammering could show us the right direction for the development of better therapy approaches with fewer relapses. It is also important to research the psychological and social impact of stammering on our lives for the BSA to offer support when and where needed.

The BSA has grown considerably over the past 24 years from a small self-help group to a professionally managed charity company. A lot of effort has been devoted to making life easier for people who stammer by offering support and information, and rightly so. However, I believe that the BSA has now reached a critical stage. We need to go beyond reacting to the impacts of stammering, and need to become more active in research for a better understanding of it. Last autumn I proposed the creation of a research committee. I am very happy that the BSA trustees have recognised the need for a research committee and strongly support my proposal. The research committee will function as a standard BSA sub-committee. It will advise the BSA trustees on research issues and try to promote research into stammering and communicate research to the BSA members.

The BSA research committee has members from BSA, the speech and language therapy and social sciences community, and the natural sciences and statistics community. Most members have done PhD research or are actively involved in research. The members are:

Prof. James Thornton (joint chair, BSA trustee, academic)
Velda Osborne (joint chair, BSA trustee, senior statistician at the Office for National Statistics)
Colin Marsh (BSA trustee)
Rosemarie Hayhow (SLT-researcher)
Dr. Trudy Stewart (SLT-researcher)
Dr. Rosemary Sage (SLT-lecturer in education)
Professor Peter Howell (professor in psychology)
Dr. Robin Lickley (lecturer in speech science)
Norbert Lieckfeldt (BSA Chief Executive), and
myself.

The BSA has been very lucky to have such high-calibre individuals with a wide range of experiences. And, they do it on a voluntary basis! On behalf of the BSA, I would like to thank them for their efforts and dedication.

The discussions at our first meeting in February 2002 were very interesting and stimulating. We shared each other's ideas and experiences and came up with the following projects. Telling BSA members about research issues and news is a priority for us. We are organising a workshop on research for BSA members at the conference in London this September (2002). There is also a poster session planned where researchers will present some of their research. We are planning to expand and keep up-to-date the research content on the BSA website and magazine. On a more general note, we will look into current and future research proposals with which the BSA is associated and we will act as advisors. There are other projects planned and we will keep you informed of our plans.

To summarise, I am very happy that the committee is now up and running. If you are a researcher, have a great idea for a project, know how to get financial support or just want to send us a letter of support to Speaking Out, we would love to hear from you. I am convinced we can have a positive impact on research in the UK. Let's hope for the best: A world that understands stammering.

research@stammering.org

From the Summer 2002 edition of Speaking Out
List of committee members updated November 2003.

Research Page