About

Bill Parry is a licensed speech-language pathologist and former trial lawyer. He received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he was an Editor of the Law Review. He earned his Master’s Degree in Speech, Language and Hearing Science from Temple University. He is ASHA-certified and licensed in Pennsylvania and several other states. He practices stuttering therapy worldwide by video conferencing (subject to applicable law).

After struggling most of his life with a severe stuttering problem, Parry became frustrated with existing theories and therapies and began his own research and experimentation. This resulted in his “Valsalva Hypothesis” (published in the Journal of Fluency Disorders in December 1985) and a therapeutic approach (originally called “Valsalva Control”), which dramatically improved his fluency. This helped him become a successful trial lawyer in Philadelphia, representing injured persons and their families. He has been listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Law.

Parry founded the Philadelphia Area Chapter of the National Stuttering Association in 1985 and led its support group meetings for more than 15 years. He served for six years on the Board of Directors of the National Stuttering Association and as Chair of its Advocacy Committee. He has has appeared on TV and radio talk shows and, in 1987, received the “Spirit of Philadelphia Award” from WCAU-TV Channel 10 News. He has given workshops and presentations on the Valsalva Hypothesis locally, at NSA conventions, at the Third International Convention for People Who Stutter in 1992, at the World Congress of People Who Stutter in 1995 in Sweden, in 2011 at the International Stuttering Association’s 9th World Congress for People Who Stutter, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the ISA’ 10th World Congress in Lunteren, Netherlands, at the British Stammering Association National Conferences in 2012 and 2014, and at the ISA’s 2019 World Congress in Iceland.

The first edition of his book, Understanding and Controlling Stuttering, was published in 1994 and the Second Edition in 2000. It was also published in Korean by the South Korean Speech and Hearing Association. A Third Edition was published in 2013 and was replaced by the Ultimate Expanded Fourth Edition in 2021.

Since 2010, Parry has been developing the Worldwide Valsalva Stuttering Therapy Program – a comprehensive new therapy to reduce stuttering blocks and promote easy, natural-sounding speech – with the participation of more than 200 persons who stutter from all over the world.

Valsalva Stuttering Therapy is a new approach to improving fluency by controlling the physiological mechanism that may be contributing to stuttering blocks, as well as the psychological and neurological factors. If you are interested in participating in Valsalva Stuttering Therapy, e-mail Mr. Parry at stuttertherapy@aol.com to inquire about a free consultation.