Testimonials

How fortunate we have been to have had our lives touched by such a wonderful human being. Mary came into our lives when our son Zander was 3 1/2 years old and our prior pediatrician assured us his stuttering was “just a phase” and “he would grow out of it”. Zander has always been a confident child and hadn’t reached the stage of being “ashamed of his speech”, luckily we didn’t take our pediatricians advice and did what was best for Zander. We began the journey with Mary and it was a rocky one with challenges that we had never had to meet before as a family. It has been very difficult to watch him struggle and become discouraged. We automatically thought “what did we do to cause this, why is this happening to him?” You made sure that we realized we were good parents and assured us it wasn’t our fault. It has been close to 2 years now and his stuttering is 100% better. We still work every day with our easy talk and our bounces, and we love it, we love that he has worked so hard to overcome this. It has made him stronger and made our family stronger too. Thank you Mary for being such a positive influence on Zander and our family. Thank you for loving him in such a wonderful way, you have a way about you that makes everyone feel like they are number one. That is not easy to do, you have a gift and we are so thankful you shared it with us.

— The Hirman Family

We have been going to the Center for Stuttering Therapy since our son was 4 years old. His therapist, Patty Walton, has been extremely effective in diagnosing his speech challenges and developing a plan that includes goals and target dates for reaching speech fluency. Patty understands kids with different temperaments and how to best work with them and their speech impediments but still makes sessions fun by playing games or working with other children. Our son no longer needs weekly sessions as Patty was able to teach him the tools needed to control his stutter and speech; however, our son still finds it beneficial to have a session every few weeks for maintenance and to reinforce his skills. We can’t say enough about Patty’s practice and her other speech therapists, who have also worked with our son. The therapists are dynamic, fun and professional but most importantly, they are effective at improving children’s speech and giving them confidence to be able to achieve that success on their own. Thanks for all your help and love you have put into our son Patty! You don’t know how much you have meant to him and our family.

— Steve

We are so thankful for Mary and the skills she has taught us. Because of the skills Caleb has learned here, he can speak with confidence and know that people are listening to what he says, not how he says it. Miss Mary has had a profound impact on Caleb and on our entire family. Caleb came home today with the most incredible news: he was selected as a “news anchor” for the school’s morning news channel! He had to try out for this position, and I must say that I just about cried when he brought home the letter. Thank you, THANK YOU for all your hard work with him the past few years. As soon as I got the letter, I know I had to write you and tell you about it! It’s hard to believe how far his speech has come. Thanks for everything!

— Jason, Becca, Caleb and Blake

As a parent, I was reluctant to acknowledge the need for speech therapy with my oldest son as I was, at that time, naïve enough to think he was unaware of his own stuttering.  During his initial evaluation I will never forget the liberating feeling we all experienced when Whitney and Patty helped my son articulate not only his awareness, but also sentiments about stuttering. Connor has always been a child who wanted to talk with anyone and everyone.  He lives for the spotlight and as a mother I was terrified that his stuttering would impede his ability to communicate and create self-doubt that would have him shy away from these situations.  However, after attending The Center for Stuttering Therapy, the frequency of stuttering decreased to almost nothing and he had a toolbox by his side to handle any future bumps. Connor may still experience the occasional “bumps” in his speech, but overall most people who encounter him are shocked to find out he once struggled with stuttering.

His therapist, Mrs. Whitney demonstrated constant professionalism and flexibility.  She was loving and creative with the kids and they were always excited to go to speech. Mrs. Whitney was great about integrating feedback from my husband and I into the short and long term goals for the boys.  I always felt informed about the projected time line and she took the time to ensure we understood the rationale behind her choices. The Center for Stuttering Therapy was a welcoming environment filled with supportive families.  There were always smiling faces to greet you as you walked in and that warm ambiance helped create a sense of normalcy around stuttering.  I would highly recommend Mrs. Whitney and The Center for Stuttering Therapy!

Watch Connor’s NASA interview

— Lauren

More than a few years ago you helped our little boy find his voice. Well, that little boy has grown (6’3″) into a confident young man that found success in school and life. He was selected student of the semester last fall by the teaching staff and was co-captain of the cross-country team. He even works counter at an ice cream store. Anyway, we wanted to let you know what the outcome was of your helping Wyatt (and us) manage his speech challenge. We are forever grateful!!

— Michael and Kristy

Meeting and working with Patty Walton changed my son’s childhood! He gained the tools to help him with his speech and he is now on his high schools mock trial team!

— Surinder

Last week I watch as Chase, now 5 and in Kindergarten, got up on stage in front of an audience and recited a poem. He looked calm and confident while I sat in the front row a bundle of nerves. He did not stutter, he spoke clearly and at the end he bowed as I clapped and cheered with tears in my eye. If we were in a commercial a voice over would say, “This moment brought to you by Mary Wallace”. Chase began stuttering around his 3rd birthday. This is when I learned he comes from a long line of stutterers in my family. My father stuttered, my grandfather, my uncle, my Dad’s uncle etc…I truly hoped it would pass but 5 months later it was only getting worse. Chase started to grab at his mouth as if trying to physically pull the words out. He became quieter. Clearly, not talking was easier than the start and restarts. As a mom, my heart broke for him. Chase can be strong willed and stubborn so Miss Mary brought her full arsenal of skills and experience with her when we’d meet. Did it get better immediately-no. Did Chase embrace the changes in his speech-no. Was Miss Mary confident we’d get to where we are right now? Yes!!! I’m so fortunate Miss Mary has taught Chase lessons that no inspirational poster ever could.

— Amanda

Ryan began stuttering at the age of 4. He stuttered severely.  We knew Patty through FRIENDS: National Association of Young People Who Stutter.  However, we were 1200 miles apart, so not much help to us. Ryan did an internship for his major in Denver.  When he left here in August that year, he was a person who stuttered severely.  Ryan blocked his words/sounds.  It was often many seconds, even a minute or more, before he would be able to get his words out.  He had also picked up secondary behaviors over the years – eye closure, face grimacing, jaw shaking – as he would attempt to communicate.  It was pretty discouraging, although he never let it keep him from what he wanted to do. From August to November of that year, Ryan worked with Patty. Ryan arrived home the night before Thanksgiving.  As we sat in the kitchen, he talked about his internship and his trip.  Finally, he stopped midsentence and accused me of not listening to him.  He was right – I wasn’t listening. Instead I was watching – his eyes were wide open, there was no facial grimacing or jaw shaking.  His words were clear, the blocking was gone.  I was amazed that in such a short time, so much had been accomplished.  Ryan’s confidence grew – he does public speaking and is a mentor for others who stutter.

Ryan and his wife recently moved to Denver – continued therapy with Patty was one of their reasons.  I already notice a difference and am once again amazed at the changes in his speech.  For those who think that nothing will help them or their children, please know that quality speech therapy is available and does make a difference.  There are no words to describe what a huge difference Patty has made in our lives.

— Ruth

I want you, Miss Mary, to know what a huge, amazing and lasting impact you made on Liam’s life. What a transformation! He’s and incredible kid- smart, funny, caring, you always said he was unique and now I’m hearing it from his teachers too. Most important- now he has confidence in himself and his ability to communicate thanks to you. I still see him practicing his easy talk when it seems he may have the beginnings of more issues (which he hasn’t yet). He’s a joy and a blessing, and I thank you with eternal gratitude that you helped him so much.

— Kristin

My 16-year-oldson has been a client of the Center for Stuttering Therapy for 4 years. The progress he has made during this time has been remarkable! He’s experienced significant improvements not only with his fluency, but also with his confidence and feelings about his speech. And, in the last year, he has become veryinvolved with stuttering-related support activities, mentoring and has participated as a speaker on panels. He has truly learned to “stutter well” and enjoys sharing his experience!As a parent of a young person who stutters, I know how important it is to work with speech-language pathologists who specialize in stuttering therapy. I would very highly recommend any and all of the wonderfully caring and expert speech-language pathologists at the Center for Stuttering Therapy!

— Shelly

I think Miss Mary is awesome! I’m so glad she got to help me. She taught me many strategies to help me with my speech. I think easy talk is awesome too (maybe not as much as Miss Mary though). Now after 1 1/2 years my speech is awesome!!! Easy talk helps me 24/7 or whenever I am talking. I would recommend Miss Mary to anyone who stutters. I hope she will keep on doing what she loves and keep on helping lots, lots and lots of people. For now and forever, Miss Mary will be a very big caring, helpful, honest and extremely awesome person in my life.

— Kelly (age 11)

As a therapy naive adult, your artful skill in stuttering therapy literally changed my life. Not only have I become more fluent, but how I felt/thought about stuttering changed dramatically (My stutter-shame was eviscerated!). I so greatly appreciate your center. Thank you!

— Mike

It’s really hard to put into words how I feel about The Center for Stuttering Therapy and their team of superb therapists, because I truly cannot imagine where we would be without them.

Our son, who is now 10, started therapy with the center after a rough experience with his school therapist about 6 years ago. Almost instantly after starting therapy with CST, we felt embraced and were given the tools to navigate through his journey. I can’t imagine he’d be doing as well as he is without the support we received from CST. And I cannot forget to mention the friends and other families we’ve met and connected with because of CST! The support we give each other and the amazing network of kids and parents have made this experience even better than I could have ever dreamed.

Our lives will be forever changed because of the encouragement and compassion that we’ve received. We feel blessed and are eternally grateful for Ms. Patty and all the other amazing therapists at The Center for Stuttering Therapy.

— Christina