Iowa City Press-Citizen

Stuttering researcher takes time for children

By Deanna Truman-Cook

June 18, 2006

Imagine going to a restaurant and ordering something other than what you really want simply because it's easier to say.

Or having a dream of being a teacher but choosing instead an occupation that doesn't require as much talking.

In her research, Patricia Zebrowski, a University of Iowa associate professor of Speech Pathology and Audiology, has seen people do both.

She has had many clients tell her it's simply easier to not talk rather than have a stuttering problem draw attention to themselves.

"I have a real motivation to not only figure out what causes stuttering but to help older students and adults manage their speech," Zebrowski said.

She tells the graduate students she teaches that they truly can change a person's life. She whole-heartedly believes it.

It's the reason she heads UI's Stuttering Research Project and why many of the projects involve children.

Although much research has been done on adults who stutter, there is little on children.

"If we want to cure what causes stuttering, we have to look at when it begins," Zebrowski said.
Stuttering usually surfaces between ages 2 to 4. About 75 percent of children who stutter usually outgrow it within a few years, Zebrowski said.

Hoping to learn why 25 percent don't, the Stuttering Research Project currently is working on two large studies.

Families taking part receive a free assessment of their children's speech as well as compensation. They also receive information on how they can help their children.

The most recent project, Physiological Correlates of Stuttering, being done in collaboration with Purdue University, is an ongoing study that started last January.

Both children who stutter, as well as those who don't, are needed for the project. In the study, children wear goggles and read words and sentences on a screen while a machine records lip and jaw movements.

They also listen to different sounds, words, sentences and stories and answer questions about what they hear.

The recording of brain activity is accomplished through the use of a special cap that has sensors sewn into it.

In a nutshell, the study is interested in how speech production works, Zebrowski said.

A child will be monitored on how he or she responds to a nonsense word as well as to a real one as well as how they respond to simple words as well as complex words.

The other study, Subtypes and Risk Factors in Childhood Stuttering, is being done in collaboration with the University of Illinois. Begun in 2002, it is looking at many factors, including speech, language, motor skills, temperament, home life and educational development.

The idea is to see if there are any patterns with the children who stop stuttering or with those who don't, Zebrowski said.

In addition to her research, teaching and meeting with patients, Zebrowski also presents talks on stuttering across the nation.

Jane Fraser, president of the Tennessee-based nonprofit Stuttering Foundation, has invited Zebrowski to speak at many events.

Fraser said she has been deeply impressed by Zebrowski's research.

"With early detection and intervention, stuttering does not have to be a lifelong problem," Fraser said.

But it's not just the research that makes Zebrowski stand out -- it's also who she is, Fraser said, adding that it is obvious how much she believes in what she is doing.

Zebrowski doesn't just speak in technical or scientific talk; she boils it down so the average person can understand as well, Fraser said.

"She does a beautiful job of synthesizing it, making it understandable in layman terms," she said.