Join Friends in Denver from July 18-20, 2024
Our mission continues to be what it has always been—to provide support and education to young people who stutter, their families, and clinicians. Instilling a sense of empowerment, providing an environment where feelings of isolation disappear and growing confidence and self-esteem continues to be the foundation of our vision. We want our young people who stutter to know they are strong, they have support, they are not alone, and they have Friends who will listen to them.
Join us at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver Tech Center between July 18-20, 2024 as Friends celebrates 27 years of providing support and community for young people who stutter and their families. Meet kids, parents, siblings, and SLPs all hoping for the same unforgettable time as you. When you leave on Sunday, we are positive you will tell your new Friends how happy you are that you decided to come to a Friends convention, followed by a ‘See you next year!’
Registration for the annual convention is now open. Please join our mailing list below to hear updates about the convention, including keynote speakers, workshops, and a detailed schedule! If you have any questions, please email us at friends@friendswhostutter.org.
Evening before the convention: In-Person Memorial Dinner Honoring Lee Caggiano
Please join us before the convention begins, on Wednesday, July 17th at 6:00 PM, for an in-person memorial dinner honoring our dearly missed co-founder Lee Caggiano. Everyone in our stuttering community and beyond (all ages and all levels of familiarity with Lee and Friends) is welcome to join. If you plan to join this dinner, please take this into consideration when booking your travel and stay in Denver.
Since this is a separate event from our Annual Convention, we ask that you RSVP even if you have already registered for the convention. This memorial dinner is free to attend (with donations always welcome), but we ask that you please RSVP so we can make sure that we order enough food.
For Kids and Teens
Increase your confidence
communicating
Meet others who stutter
Find role models who stutter
Have fun talking!
Learn about stuttering
For Parents
Meet other parents & share experiences
Hear tips and support from fellow parents & young people who stutter
Join in roundtable discussions
Find out what you can do to support your child
For SLPs & Teachers
Receive invaluable education from experts and researchers
Gain more confidence in working with people who stutter & their families
Learn more about stuttering, effective social/clinical strategies, & support services
Snippets
Listen to a perspectives from Friends conferences from a teen, parent, and SLP
Research Corner
Why attend a Friends Convention? We partnered with researchers at the University of Iowa to understand the positive impact our conventions have on young people who stutter. They found the following five results:
- Children and teenagers built strong relationships and a sense of community in a safe environment.
- Collaborative learning facilitated personal growth.
- Communicative and cognitive changes persisted beyond the convention.
- Hearing and sharing personal stories increased self-acceptance and acceptance of others.
- Living with stuttering can be hard, but the convention helped normalize stuttering.
FOR SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS AND STUDENTS
The Friends Annual Convention is a fantastic place for speech-language pathologists and students to learn more about stuttering, current treatments and the support available to people who stutter, while earning 1.2 ASHA CEUs.
CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES for CEUs
At the completion of the conference, participants are able to:
- Explain the relationship between effective intervention, support services, and self-esteem in children and adolescents who stutter;
- Identify social and clinical strategies for supporting children who stutter and their families;
- Apply problem-solving skills to address common treatment obstacles.
Read Financial and Non-Financial Disclosures
Caryn Herring, M.S., CCC-SLP is a salaried employee of Friends. She has no non-financial disclosures.
Eric Jackson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is a salaried employee of New York University. Non-financial disclosures include: board member of Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter.
Sara MacIntyre, M.A., CCC-SLP owns YouSpeak Stuttering Therapy and receives an honorarium from the Stuttering Foundation as the Director of Programs and an honorarium from Friends as the One-Day Conference Director. Non-financial disclosures include: board member of Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter.
Mark O’Malia, M.S., CCC-SLP is a salaried employee of the American Institute for Stuttering. Non-financial disclosures: board member of Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter.
Ryan Pollard, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF is a salaried employee of the University of Colorado Boulder. Non-financial disclosures include: board member of Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter.
Patricia Zebrowski, Ph.D, CCC-SLP, BCS-SCF has no financial disclosures. Non-financial disclosures include: board member of Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter.
