Moshe Rabbeinu stuttering and G-d helped him speak fluently. And now, finally, through G-d's help, a technology has been developed by Dr. Fluency so anyone with disfluency can achieve fluent speech
Stuttering and other speech disfluencies can be profoundly debilitating and embarrassing, impacting personal and professional lives. The Dr. Fluency Stuttering Treatment Program provides a unique, technology-based approach that enables PWS (People Who Stutter) to achieve lasting fluency.
Originating in Israel, the Dr. Fluency course stands as the world’s most comprehensive and effective program in its field. It achieves unparalleled results by integrating the Precision Fluency Shaping method with cutting-edge computer technology that won the prestigious Prime Minister’s Prize, and was developed in collaboration with the world’s leading experts such as Dr. Bob Kroll of the Ontario Speech and Stuttering Institute, as well as Hadassah Ein-Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. The expert clinical team ensures a holistic approach that integrates seamlessly into everyday life, with an emphasis on long-term sustainability. Dr. Fluency represents the only treatment program for stuttering with a demonstrated track record of overcoming all associated challenges. Under its guidance, unnecessary sacrifices are eliminated, fostering enhanced self-confidence and lifelong speech fluency.
This writer had the privilege of interviewing David Harris, Founder and Director of the Dr. Fluency Institute, which has assisted thousands of individuals with disfluency challenges for over two decades to achieve confident and fluent speech.
Queens Jewish Link: Drawing from Parshas Sh’mos, where Moshe Rabbeinu overcomes his speech impediment to become a leader with Divine support, how does your program’s approach help clients transform their speech challenges into strengths for personal or professional growth?
Mr. Harris: As we know, Moshe Rabbeinu’s primary obstacle to leadership was his speech impediment. He received special Divine assistance, as Hashem promised to heal him, stating, “I give the gift of speech; I make people deaf or blind. Do not worry – I will take care of it.” Initially, when Moshe approached Pharaoh, Aharon spoke on his behalf. However, the second time, when warning of the plague of Blood, Moshe spoke independently, demonstrating that Hashem had indeed healed him.
Today, Hashem has sent His shaliach through the Dr. Fluency program. By utilizing this program, individuals are empowered to communicate effectively – a fundamental and most precious gift for human beings.
QJL: Mr. Harris, that connection to Moshe Rabbeinu is truly inspiring; it positions your program almost as a modern-day Divine tool. What inspired you to found an institute focused on stuttering treatment, and how has your background shaped its mission?
Mr. Harris: The origins of the system are quite compelling. Years ago, a fellow named Aryeh Friedman immigrated to Israel from the Soviet Union. As he embraced a religious lifestyle and pursued his doctorate in Quantum Physics, he faced challenges during university interviews in Israel. His disfluency hindered his presentations, preventing acceptance into most programs.
Ultimately, Ben-Gurion University in Be’er Sheva accepted him, thanks to the head of physics at the time who could read Russian. However, they noted that he would need to deliver lectures and teach courses, which his disfluency would impede. The professor referred him to a three-week disfluency treatment course at Hadassah Hospital, where expensive outdated equipment helped him achieve temporary fluency. After three weeks, he spoke beautifully, but the disfluency returned months later due to incorrect ongoing practice.
He realized that the core issue was the lack of access to the hospital’s equipment for home practice. This insight led him to the idea of computerizing the course, enabling at-home training on a tablet. Together with David Harris, who brought expertise in computer recognition technologies, they founded the Dr. Fluency Institute.
QJL: What an incredible journey – from nearly losing a career opportunity to creating a solution that helps thousands. Building on that origin story, can you describe the key therapies or technologies your program uses and what sets them apart from traditional speech pathology methods?
Mr. Harris: In traditional approaches, therapists instruct clients on using techniques, assign homework, and provide further assignments during follow-up sessions, with little or usually no results since they lacked the necessary technological tools. This led individuals with disfluency to feel trapped by the condition. The advanced Dr. Fluency system provided the missing element to empower therapists to teach correct speech patterns while enabling clients to practice accurately at home using a computer tablet.
We incorporate technology-enabled voice recognition for guided speech practice. This clinically supported program has been recognized globally, as it uniquely combines high-tech innovation with a therapy methodology unmatched by others, designed for genuine, enduring results.
QJL: The way you’ve bridged high-tech with hands-on therapy sounds revolutionary. Many people think of stuttering when they hear about speech issues, but you distinguish between the two. Can you explain what disfluency actually is, what causes it, when it typically begins, and whom it affects?
Mr. Harris: Disfluency typically onsets between ages three and nine and is a genetically inherited disorder. Approximately one percent of the global population is affected, equating to about 3.8 million people in the United States.
Importantly, the primary issue we address is not stuttering itself; stuttering is merely a side effect of disfluency. Disfluency involves a sudden, momentary loss of control over the speech production system. The individual knows what he or she wants to say and how to say it, but experiences a block where the word fails to emerge. The vocal cords lock, preventing airflow, and the vibration essential for speech is disrupted, leading to various familiar side effects.
For example, stuttering often manifests as syllable repetitions: A child intending to say “me also” might produce “me, me, me also.” We term this stuttering due to the repeated sounds (“me”), but the core block is on the subsequent word (“also”). The true problem lies in the internal lockup that is neither visible nor audible.
Another common side effect is stammering, where forceful attempts to produce a word result in facial contortions, body twitching, or head movements stemming from frustration. Children may also employ filler words such as “like, like…,” “and, and…” or develop excessively rapid speech. Some individuals swallow or slur words to prevent blocking, which is referred to as cluttering, characterized by rapid, unclear speech.
QJL: That clarification is very helpful; it really shifts how one understands the root problem rather than just the symptoms. Following up on that explanation, why does this sudden loss of control – disfluency – happen in the first place?
Mr. Harris: The speech production system is the most complex motor system in the human body. Producing speech requires simultaneously activating over 200 muscles with precision timing – in as little as 1/1000th of a second. Disfluency is regarded as a motoric, neurological, and physiological issue – as a misfire of any one of those muscles would cause the loss of control.
QJL: The level of coordination you’re describing is astonishing, which makes the challenge – and your success in addressing it – all the more impressive. As the institute continues to grow, what are your plans for expansion or further innovation in stuttering treatment over the next few years?
Mr. Harris: We currently operate clinics at our Long Island Office (in the Five Towns) and in Brooklyn, with plans to expand to Monsey and Lakewood.
QJL: Bringing this program to those additional communities will be a tremendous brachah for so many families. To end on an uplifting note, would you share a few specific stories of people whose lives have been transformed through the Dr. Fluency program?
Mr. Harris: We have assisted 2,800 patients in Israel and many more in the United States.
One notable case is Dovid, who began treatment at 14½ years old, not being able to tell me his name at the time. He was very motivated and completed the course, which typically takes 2-3 months, in a matter of weeks. Now at 16½, he hosts his own podcast discussing speech and speech impediments.
Just today, I received a video from Moishe’s father saying Havdalah for his family; this came after receiving a video a few months ago of Moishe, then 16 with an extremely severe stutter, reciting the Chanukah candle-lighting blessings.
We derive daily nachas from our patients’ progress – from the most simple things, like when a patient asks a question in shiur for the first time or even delivers a chaburah. We frequently receive videos of bar mitzvah boys presenting their drashos more fluently than most kids their age, or reports of patients sharing a d’var Torah publicly.
And, of course, chasanim, who had worried all their lives about pronouncing “m’kudeshes li” under the chupah, performing it flawlessly. Others celebrate receiving their first aliyah in shul or being chazan for the very first time.
We support young men navigating shidduchim, and we employ separate female speech pathologists for girls and women.
At year’s end, program graduates confidently address audiences of 150-300 people. Hundreds of video clips of our satisfied patients speaking at these graduations are available on our website.
QJL: It was truly inspiring to speak with you, Mr. Harris, and to learn about the life-changing impact of the Dr. Fluency Institute. May Hashem bless the institute with continued success and abundant nachas from all its patients.
Mr. Harris: Thank you so much! I would like, however, to stress that achieving such meaningful results requires at least half an hour of daily work that should last throughout the year of the course. However, with the right commitment, the Dr. Fluency program is guaranteed, with Hashem’s help, to transform one’s life, making the sky once again the limit for anyone afflicted with this difficult impediment, as can be seen on our website.
To contact the Dr. Fluency Institute:
516-284-0199
Drfluencyusa.com
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