Our Program
The Eastern Virginia Medical School Fluency Program treats stuttering as a behavioral problem. We do not perceive stuttering as the consequence of a complex emotional disorder. We can confidently say that after decades of helping stutterers, the proper approach to treating this perplexing, long-standing affliction is to accurately redevelop the physical properties of speech.
The EVMS Fluency Program employs laboratory derived principles of learning in the development of new speech skills. During the therapy program, physical mechanisms used in the production of speech are precisely and systematically retrained. Participants in the EVMS Fluency Program relearn the proper means of producing the elementary sounds of speech. The stutterers then rebuild their ability to correctly produce syllables, words and, ultimately, complete sentences.
In The News
- Read ANN LANDERS' column, where she says "Program may be answer for those who stutter..."
- Virginia Pilot newspaper - Front page, Sunday, December 26, 2015. The Gift of Speech: Students come from across the globe to tackle stuttering.
- Watch the CBS news story covering Ross Barrett and his successful program graduates.
- WVEC-TV Interview with Ross Barrett
Patient Testimonials
Ross S. Barrett, M.A., CCC/SLP
Instructor of Clinical Otolaryngology
EVMS Fluency Program Director
Board Recognized Fluency Specialist
Learn more about Ross Barrett
Remember me? The Red-headed kid from last summer? I know it's been a long time, but I just wanted to thank you so much for helping me get over one of the biggest humps of my life. I am doing great, and my speech is doing even better. I still remember when you said you will always be a stutterer but since you've learned to control it, it will never show up unless you slip up… Now, I totally know what you mean. When I left Norfolk after the program, my progress on fluency slowly but surely increased. I am totally in control and now I can sleep soundly at night. I kind of relate stuttering to alcoholism. You’re never cured, everyday you wake up an alcoholic or a stutterer, but it’s your choice on how you want to end that day. I learned a lot in my time at the EVMS Fluency Program. Not just how to control stuttering, but I learned a lot about myself, about working hard and how much I take certain things for granted.
I left Norfolk with a whole new attitude, a new vision. This helped me in the following year tremendously. In several aspects I was slowly turning myself into the person that I wanted to be. I'll never forget the little things you did for me that made a huge difference while I was there… I felt great at the end of each day, refreshed and improving. I'm not sure if you remember, but on the last day of the program you had me read a passage in front of all the parents and all the students...