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Purpose: I respond to Kamhi's (2011) conclusion in his article "Balancing Certainty and Uncertainty in Clinical Practice" that rational or critical thinking is an essential complement to evidence-based practice (EBP)., Method: I expand on Kamhi's conclusion and briefly describe what clinicians might need to know to think critically within an EBP profession. Specifically, I suggest how critical thinking is relevant to EBP, broadly summarize the relevant skills, indicate the importance of thinking dispositions, and outline the various ways our thinking can go wrong., Conclusion: I finish the commentary by suggesting that critical thinking skills should be considered a required outcome of our professional training programs.

Purpose: To respond to several of the issues raised in J. Kalinowski, T. Saltuklaroglu, A. Stuart, and V. K. Guntupalli's (2007) critique of our previous article (P. Finn, A. K. Bothe, & R. E. Bramlett, 2005). Method: Information is provided to refute criticisms raised by Kalinowski et al. about the Finn et al. article, including with respect to that report 's methodology, previous research about fluency-inducing conditions in stuttering, and the SpeechEasy device. Conclusions: Available data show that delayed auditory feedback, frequency-altered feedback, masking, and chorus reading can result in reduced stuttering for some speakers, and the inconsistencies and variability in available reports suggest that further careful and creative research could be very valuable. Neither the information about the SpeechEasy provided by its developers, however, nor the manner in which that information has been presented and discussed by its developers rises to the standards of a science-based clinical service discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evidence-based framework can be described as an empirically-driven, measurement-based, client-sensitive approach for selecting treatments. It is believed that using such a framework is more likely to result in a clinically significant outcome. For this paper, a clinically significant outcome was defined as a meaningful treatment change. It was suggested that there are at least three groups for whom a treatment’s outcome is meaningful. These groups include clinicians/clinical researchers, the clients, and relevant others who have some interest in the outcome (e.g., parents of a child who stutters). The meaning and measurement of clinical significance was discussed for each of these three groups, based on research from the behavioral stuttering treatment literature.Educational objectives: The reader will learn about and be able to (1) broadly define a clinically significant outcome and identify some of the groups who are interested in such an outcome and (2) describe how clinical significance has been evaluated in stuttering treatment within an evidence-based framework. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents a study on the reliability and validity of stutterers' self-ratings of speech naturalness and speech monitoring. Rhythmic stimulation; Stutter and syllable counts; Effects and agreement levels; Comparison between on-line ratings and off-line ratings; Correlation analysis of independent and dependent variables.

This paper overviews recent developments in an ongoing program of brain imaging research on developmental stuttering that is being conducted at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. This program has primarily used H215O PET imaging of different speaking tasks by right-handed adult male and female persistent stutterers, recovered stutterers and controls in order to isolate the neural regions that are functionally associated with stuttered speech. The principal findings have emerged from studies using condition contrasts and performance correlation techniques. The emerging findings from these studies are reviewed and referenced to a neural model of normal speech production recently proposed by Ju¨rgens [Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 26 (2002) 235]. This paper will report (1) the reconfiguration of previous findings within the Ju¨rgens Model; (2) preliminary findings of an investigation with late recovered stutterers; (3) an investigation of neural activations during a treatment procedure designed to produce a sustained improvement in fluency; and (4) an across-studies comparison that seeks to isolate neural regions within the Ju¨rgens Model that are consistently associated with stuttering. Two regions appear to meet this criterion: right anterior insula (activated) and anterior middle and superior temporal gyri (deactivated) mainly in right hemisphere. The implications of these findings and the direction of future imaging investigations are discussed.Educational objectives: The reader will learn about (1) recent uses of H215O PET imaging in stuttering research; (2) the use of a new neurological model of speech production in imaging research on stuttering; and (3) initial findings from PET imaging investigations of treated and recovered stutterers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]