^{Isobel and Fiona report on the International Fluency Congress in Dublin}

^{Report on Dublin IFA Congress 2006}

We presented our paper entitled ‘The Effects of Play Situations on the Fluency of Children who Stammer‘ on Wednesday 26^th July 2006, in Lecture Hall 1 to an audience of around 40-50 delegates. Our presentation was one of seven simultaneous sessions. In all there were around 300 delegates at the conference from a variety of different countries.

The presentation lasted 25 minutes and we included photos and a short video of two of the children involved in the research project. We had several questions at the end of the session, mainly expressing an interest in the resources that we had used to carry out the project. We also had one delegate praising us for the clarity of our presentation – we had quite an international audience and some felt that other English speakers had not been so easy to follow!  Also we were congratulated on the type of research project that we had undertaken, i.e. one with such a direct clinical and practical application.  Following the presentation we collected around 35 email addresses of delegates interested in our work, who requested a copy of the slides.

Personally we found the range of other presentations very interesting, and it was difficult to decide which ones to go to.   We both chose different presentations to attend when there was a choice, in order to share our experiences and get the most out of going to the conference. One of the most interesting studies presented was one regarding the ability to sequence oral movements made by children and adults who stammer.  The presenter (Anne Smith) concluded that children who stammer appear to have a fundamental issue with making specific sequences of (fluent) oral movements indicating a breakdown at a very basic level. She advocated any type of therapy that involved an element of rote speech movement rehearsal as she felt this was likely to have the most effect – although she was speculating! Food for thought for us definitely, but not research that was in any way in conflict with our direction, actually rather compatible.

We would both like to thank the Trustees for the opportunity to present and attend at this truly international conference. It was a great chance to catch up with current research, network, share ideas and talk to people about the work of the Trust. We have already submitted our paper to the proceedings and hope that this will be published soon.

Isobel Pickering and Fiona Hamilton

 
10 September 2006

The Trust is grateful for the publicity received as a result of the BBC Look East interview
that took place on 2 February 2006
 

to access and view the television report click on the following link BBC Look East

read the article BBC News
 

listen to a Radio Interview  BBC Radio Norfolk

Simon Wallis, Trustee; and Dr Penny Cavenagh of Suffok College
who is liaising between UEA, Suffolk College and the Trust
 

DOM'S FUND  :  OPEN EVENING 9^th NOVEMBER  2005

More than 150 people attended the Open Evening held at Suffolk College on 9^th November 2005.

The guests were welcomed to the College by the Principal, Professor Dave Muller, and the Chairman of the Trustees Sir Malcolm Pill, who after thanking  Professor Muller for his warm welcome and considerable support, gave a special welcome to the Chairman of Suffolk County Council, Cllr. Jeremy Clover and Mrs Clover and  also to Norbert Lieckfeldt the Chief Executive of the British Stammering Association (BSA).

Isobel Crichton Smith presented the findings of the fourth research project completed with Fiona Stewart at Suffolk College, and funded by the Trust.

Since the Trust was formed Professor Muller and Suffolk College have given it great support.  Now that a School of Speech therapy has been opened at the University of East Anglia (UEA), the focus of the research has been transferred to UEA with Professor Muller's encouragement.

Dr Jan McAllister, Joint Director of the  new School of Speech Therapy at UEA, gave an overview of the new School of Speech Therapy, and Tamara Davidson introduced herself as the recently appointed holder of the  Dominic Barker Studentship at UEA.

Jon Smith gave a vivid account of his early years when he struggled to speak because of a severe stammer and the unusual therapy he received when a teenager. He described, with amusing anecdotes,  his present  busy and dynamic life as Chief Executive of First Artist Corporation plc one of Europe's leading sports agency, including  his role in the world of football transfers.  Jon Smith is also a Patron of the BSA.
 

Jaik Campbell, who grew up in Suffolk, entertained the audience and provided an amusing and poignant insight into what it means to be a comedian with a stammer. As a recent review commented "Jaik Campbell is a brave comedian.  Yes, he does have a stutter but he is a funny man, and he knows how to deliver a punch line despite his obvious affliction" see http://www.jaikcampbell.com/

Simon Wallis, a Trustee, organised a successful raffle and Toby Kramers, a Trustee, gave a vote of thanks.

The evening concluded with an excellent buffet supper organised by the HE students of the College.

THE DOMINIC BARKER TRUST received an honorary degree conferred by UEA, the University of East Anglia, on 28th October, 2004, at the Suffolk College, Ipswich. It is extremely rare for a Trust to be awarded an honorary degree and the Trustees are delighted that research and work already done and being done by the Trust has been acknowledged in this way.
 

The photograph shows Eleanor Barker, who received the degree on behalf of the Trust,
Prof. Dave Muller, the Principal of Suffolk College, and the other Trustees.

Click here to download speech
(Portable Document Format)
by Claire Webb, Associate Dean, School of Radiology, Suffolk College.

Click here to download speech
(pdf version)
by Eleanor Barker, one of the trustees.

To view or print this, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader - you can download it here