UC’s annual Fluency Friday workshop supports children and teens who stutter

25th anniversary of one-day program aims to educate, dispel common misconceptions

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Fluency Friday, a one-day workshop that invites children and teens who stutter and their families to connect with stuttering experts and speech-language pathology graduate students — and one another — for education and empowerment.

The 2025 event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, in the Health Sciences Building, 3225 Eden Ave., on the University of Cincinnati’s medical campus. In celebration of the anniversary, the attendance fee has been waived. A new name for the annual program will also be revealed.

Fluency Friday is hosted collaboratively by the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the Hamilton County Educational Service Center and the Pathways Forward Center for Stuttering. Open to students ages 7 to 18, the event has helped an estimated 1,200 young people since its founding.

The goal of Fluency Friday isn’t to “cure” stuttering but rather to dispel common misconceptions about it, and to show children and teens that they’re not alone and that it’s OK to speak and stutter freely.

“Our aim is not to stop children from stuttering, because stuttering is neurophysiological in nature,” said Katrina Purcell, a speech-language pathologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and one of the event organizers. “Our message is simple: Keep talking. We have strategies to make communication easier, but it’s absolutely OK to stutter.”

A 2024 Fluency Friday group session. Photo/April Domet/Cincinnati Children's.

What to expect

The Fluency Friday planning team with the Bearcat mascot in the Health Sciences Building atrium. Photo/Katrina Purcell.

Throughout the day, children and teens will take part in one-on-one and group sessions led by UC speech-language pathology graduate students, who volunteer as part of their clinical training and are guided by practicing speech-language pathologists from the community. Students are able to connect with peers and share experiences while caregivers learn strategies to support them.

For Maria Agnello, now 18, the opportunity to meet others her age who stutter was transformative. She and her parents, Tim and Giovanna, attended Fluency Friday for nearly a decade.

Speech-language pathology graduate students lined up in the Health Sciences Building and ready to take part in Fluency Friday.

Speech-language pathology graduate students lined up and ready to take part in Fluency Friday. Photo/Katrina Purcell.

“I realized because of Fluency Friday that it is OK to stutter,” said Agnello. “Seeing famous people and successful adults struggle with their speech but still say clearly what they want to say inspires me.”

This year’s keynote speaker will be Rick Tesmond, a person who stutters and a past attendee of Fluency Friday. Each year’s event also includes a panel of adults who stutter, giving participants and their families the chance to ask questions. Among the 2025 panelists will be Rockin’ Ron Schumacher, a longtime 103.5 WGRR radio DJ.

Tim Agnello said the panel was particularly meaningful for his family. “The professionals who stutter are exceptional speakers and great role models,” he said. “We love the environment Fluency Friday offers, where speech professionals, parents and students interact. The overriding idea is that you are not alone.”

The Agnellos recall the powerful moment at the end of the day when their daughter and many of her peers spoke to the group.

“Before Fluency Friday and speech therapy, I never thought I’d be able to use a microphone,” said Maria Agnello. “The work I’ve done during Fluency Friday and with my speech pathologist has given me confidence.”

Honoring a legacy

Two recipients of the Fluency Friday Irv Wollman Do the Right Thing Award

Jacob Russell and Robert Reichhardt, the 2022 recipients of the Fluency Friday Irv Wollman Do the Right Thing Award. Photo/Katrina Purcell.

Maria Agnello, right, a previous Fluency Friday Irv Wollman Do the Right Thing Award recipient. Photo/Katrina Purcell.

Fluency Friday was co-founded by the late Diane Games, a Cincinnati-area speech-language pathologist who specialized in fluency disorders and received the National Stuttering Association’s Speech Pathologist of the Year award in 2010.

Organizers also celebrate the legacy of co-founder Irv Wollman, a UC professor of fluency disorders and mentor to many Cincinnati Children’s Hospital clinicians. Each year, the Fluency Friday Irv Wollman Do the Right Thing Award recognizes clinicians, students and participants for outstanding achievements in the field.

Looking ahead

Although a new name will carry the program into its next 25 years, organizers say its mission remains clear: to empower young people who stutter and give them a supportive community.

“We want the new name and the event to reflect our philosophy,” Purcell said. “Talking shouldn’t be hard. With the right support, kids can learn it’s OK to stutter — and that their voices matter.”

2024 Fluency Friday participants and organizers. Photo/April Domet/Cincinnati Children's.

Beyond the classroom

UC invented cooperative education more than 100 years ago, and we continue to innovate all aspects of experience-based learning, including internships, service learning, virtual co-ops, community projects and industry partnerships. Learn more.

Featured image at top: University of Cincinnati speech-language pathology graduate students take part in a conversation station with children as part of Fluency Friday events. Photo/Katrina Purcell.