This European Fluency consortium is now doing what it has done best since 2008, generated informed leadership and clinical service to those with fluency disorders such as stuttering. Students from more than 20 countries have graduated and this new follow-up trajectory for becoming a European Fluency Specialist, and requirements to maintain specialty recognition are further examples of the high standards you have rightly set for treating those with fluency disorders. Education is a life-long process, and evidence-based treatment requires constant updating of information and exchange of ideas.

As the author of a text in stuttering, I know that literally hundreds of research articles appear in this area of practice annually, each capable of dramatically altering how we diagnose, treat and counsel our clients and families. Your standards for maintenance are the best way to ensure an informed cadre of specialists with cutting-edge knowledge and experience, to the benefit of those challenged by fluency disorders. As chair of IFA’s instruction and training committee and IFA president-elect, I am delighted to see a world-leading consortium such as yours move forward to ensure that our patients and families receive the highest possible standard of care. I congratulate you on your vision and implementation. The ECSF is truly an invaluable asset to our field.

Nan Bernstein Ratner,
International Fluency Association