Implementing CARE in Delaware: An Approach to Treating Childhood Stuttering

Delaware Speech-Language-Hearing Association Presents
A Virtual Evening Meeting: Wednesday, March 5th, 2025 6:30pm- 8:00pm 

Course title: Implementing CARE in Delaware: An Approach to Treating Childhood Stuttering

Presenters:: Courtney Byrd, PhD, CCC-SLP; Samuel Farrand, MS, CCC-SLP; Carly Aaron, MS, CCC-SLP; Evan Usler, PhD

Short speaker bios:

Dr. Courtney Byrd, CCC-SLP, is a Professor, Associate Chair, and Graduate Advisor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. She also serves as Founding and Executive Director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research, which includes three core branches: the Michael and Tami Lang Stuttering Institute, the Dealey Family Foundation Stuttering Clinic, and the Dr. Jennifer and Emanuel Bodner Developmental Stuttering Lab, as well as a satellite center in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Byrd has 100+ publications and has dedicated her life’s work to developing a distinct, non-ableist approach to the assessment and treatment of stuttering. The positive impact of Dr. Byrd’s CARE Model has been replicated across cultures, and is presently provided in 30+ countries, with the aim of one day empowering every child, teen, and adult worldwide who stutters to stutter openly, speak confidently, communicate effectively, and advocate meaningfully so that stuttering never stops them from living their lives to the fullest.

Samuel Farrand, MS CCC-SLP, is a speech language pathologist in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Health Sciences at University of Delaware and is the Director of Camp Dream. Speak. Live. Delaware.  He received his Master’s in Sciences in Speech Language Pathology from Salus University.  He worked as a SLP for 5 years in Red Clay Consolidated School District at Richardson Park Elementary and teaches and performs improv comedy locally with FEARLESS Improv out of Wilmington, Delaware.

Carly Aaron, MS CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist with eight years of experience working primarily in the school-based setting.​ Carly specializes in evaluation and treatment of school-aged children with communication disorders (expressive/receptive language, pragmatic language, speech sound production, fluency, adapted communication modalities (AAC)).​ In conjunction with her work within the public-school setting, Carly works as a clinical educator at the University of Delaware Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic (since 2021) and as a per diem speech-language pathologist at Christiana Care Hospital (acute care and acute rehab setting since 2019).

Evan Usler, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware. His Interpersonal Neurophysiology Lab investigates neural and behavioral correlates of fluency and fluency disorders in children and adults. 

Course description:

The CARE ModelTM, developed by the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research, is an innovative and evidence-based approach to stuttering therapy at no cost to individuals of all ages. This model has been implemented in Camp Dream.Speak.Live-Delaware, an intensive program that enhances communication competence, resiliency, and self-advocacy.

Course instructional level: Introductory 

Instructional methods: Lecture and video examples

Learning objectives:  

1. Define and provide motivating rationale for each component of the Blank Center CARETM (Communication; Advocacy; Resiliency; Education) Model.  
2. Identify rationale for not including fluency-focused targets when implementing the Blank Center CARETM Model.
3. Recognize the ways in which stuttering openly can improve communication effectiveness for individuals who stutter. 
4. Recognize effective and ineffective presentations of the six communication competencies of the Blank Center CARETM Model. 
5. Identify the benefits and best practices for implementation of self-disclosure of stuttering. 
6. Identify the benefits of and best practices for implementation of self-compassion and voluntary stuttering as tools for resiliency in stuttering treatment. 
7. Identify the benefits of learning about the tenets of stuttering, communication, and common misconceptions as it relates to treatment of stuttering. 
8. Describe functional outcomes and related short-term goals to facilitate progress across each pillar of the Blank Center CARETM Model.

Time ordered agenda: 

           6:30 – 6:32 Introductions (Dr. Usler)

        6:32 – 7:20 Introduction to the CARE Model (Dr. Byrd) 

                 7:20 – 7:50 Introduction to Camp DSL-Delaware (Sam Farrand &     Carly Aaron)

        7:50 – 8:00 Questions

Financial and non-financial disclosures:

Evan Usler, PhD

Financial— Compensation is not being received for this talk

Nonfinancial— No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists

Courtney Byrd, PhD CCC-SLP

Financial— Compensation is not being received for this talk

Nonfinancial— No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists

Sam Farrand, MS CCC-SLP

Financial— Compensation is not being received for this talk

Nonfinancial— No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists

Carly Aaron, MS CCC-SLP

Financial— Compensation is not being received for this talk

Nonfinancial— No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists

Register
Register online by Monday March 3rd : https://dsha.org/events
Members should login before attempting to register. 

Cost: Members= Free , Non-Members=35$

A link will be sent to registered attendees only, the day before the event.
Partial credit will not be awarded, attendance will be monitored and is required throughout the presentation to receive credit. 

A post-test will be sent to all attendees following the event and must be completed and returned to DSHA within the stated time frame in order to receive a certificate of attendance. 

Additionally, in order to receive a certificate of attendance, an attendee must be a registered DSHA member or, pay the non-member registration fee in advance of the event. Failure to meet one of these conditions will result in the attendee not receiving their certificate of attendance and their attendance will not be reported to ASHA.

DSHA will not contact attendees to obtain fees or send reminders regarding completion of post-tests. If you are uncertain of your DSHA membership status please reach out to Kelly Sanderson, Kellylsanderson5@gmail.com. 

1.5 PDHs will be offered for attendance and successful completion of post presentation testing