CANADIAN ELK CANADIAN ELK ´ELAN CANADIEN - Elks of Canada

INSTITUTE FOR STUTTERINGTREATMENT AND RESEARCHThis past year marked a milestone for the Institute forStuttering Treatment and Research. An academicinstitute of the Faculty of Rehabilitation medicine at theUniversity of Alberta and based in Edmonton, ISTARhas benefitted greatly from the support of the Elks andRoyal Purple since its inception. In February, ISTAR,which has had a presence in Calgary for five years,celebrated a move into its own home in the SouthernAlberta city.Among the great many people who have benefittedfrom ISTAR’s work in Calgary is the family of AndreBalan. Although the Balans live in northwest Calgary,in their case the benefit arose as much from theoffice’s flexibility as its proximity.speech—sometimes having difficulty getting his wordsout. “We were worried about what was going to happento his self confidence,” recalls Alin. Karina, Andre’smom, went online to see what could be done to helptheir son. That’s where they learned about ISTAR. Onthe institute’s website they watched a video that documentedthe incredible transformation undergone bysomeone with severe stuttering whose speechimproved greatly following treatment at ISTAR.“Andre wasn’t having the same degree of difficulty,”says Alin, “but we decided not to take any chances.”Soon they found themselves at ISTAR’s Calgary officewhere they met clinician Elizabeth Haynes. “What afantastic resource. What a fantastic lady,” says Alin.“We were so impressed with how she managedapproaching Andre and the wealth of information shewas able to provide. Very quickly, we relaxed.”Elizabeth was able to assure the Balans that what washappening with Andre wasn’t that unusual. “About fivepercent of children experience some stuttering, with ittypically becoming evident between the ages of twoand five,” she says. While in some cases the stutteringwill disappear without treatment, it’s impossible to predictin exactly which cases that will be, she says.“What we look for are warning signs,” she adds. Thesecan include a sibling or other relative who failed to outgrowhis or her stuttering, lack of signs of improvement,or an indication that the stuttering is causing distress—eitherto the child or the parents. “In Andre’scase,” Elizabeth recalls,” the distress was there. Hewas starting to limit what he said—he would quit talking.”Because direct treatment is more effective once achild reaches the age of three, arrangements weremade for Andre to come to the office for clinical sessionsafter his third birthday.Now five years old, Andre Balan is active and energetic,alive with curiosity about the world around him.His father, Alin, describes him as a bouncing ball.“He’s actually what I think a boy should be like,” headds. “He’s just a normal kid.”Alin credits ISTAR with helping his son enjoy life as “anormal kid.” When Andre was about two and a half, hisparents noticed that he was having trouble with hisBut things didn’t work out as planned. The office sessionsdidn’t go well. “Andre didn’t feel comfortable havingall of the attention of someone he didn’t know,”recalls his father. “Elizabeth was very, very gentle inapproaching Andre, but he wouldn’t open up.”Given Andre’s heightened lack of comfort with the traditionalclinical setting, the decision was made to takea different approach, one based on the experience that42