American Institute for Stuttering

What American Institute for Stuttering does

The American Institute for Stuttering (AIS) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1998 by speech-language pathologist Catherine Otto Montgomery. It provides individualized and group stuttering therapy to children, teens, and adults across the lifespan, employing a holistic methodology that integrates avoidance-reduction therapy, acceptance-and-commitment approaches, and rational emotive behavioral therapy to address both the physical fluency symptoms and the cognitive/emotional components of stuttering. All clinical staff hold ASHA certification and have received specialty training exclusively in fluency disorders; Executive Director Dr. Heather Grossman is among fewer than 200 U.S. Board-Certified Specialists in Stuttering, Cluttering, and Other Fluency Disorders.

AIS delivers therapy through three physical clinics (NYC headquarters, Atlanta, and a 2022-opened Santa Monica office) plus a nationwide tele-practice channel on standard video-conferencing infrastructure. Beyond patient services, the organization runs professional-training workshops, Grand Rounds, and CEU programs for speech-language pathologists and mental-health clinicians, a 'Freeing Voices, Changing Lives Scholarship Fund' providing need-based financial aid, and recurring support groups and week-long immersion programs. Revenue is split between out-of-pocket and out-of-network-reimbursed clinical fees (the organization is not in-network with insurers), state Vocational Rehabilitation contracts (ACCES-VR, GVRA, California DOR), professional training fees, and donation income — anchored by a celebrity-hosted annual gala whose 2025 edition raised over $1 million from financial-services sponsors including Citadel, GoldenTree, Cleary Gottlieb, Jefferies, RBC, and others. Governance is provided by a 24-member Board of Directors chaired by Eric Dinallo (Debevoise & Plimpton partner) and including actress Emily Blunt and former NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Name

American Institute for Stuttering

Legal name

American Institute for Stuttering Treatment & Professional Training

Website

https://stutteringtreatment.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

American Institute for Stuttering is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering specialized stuttering therapy, support groups, and professional training to children and adults through clinics in NYC, Atlanta, and Los Angeles plus nationwide tele-practice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Speech Therapy Services

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340)

SIC

Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Fluency (Stuttering/Cluttering) Services (School-Age) (EDAKAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Stuttering therapy services
• Speech-language pathology
• Fluency disorders treatment
• Parent support services
• Professional SLP training

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Speech Therapy Services: Revenue generated from speech therapy sessions for children and adults who stutter. Not in-network with insurance but many clients receive out-of-network reimbursement. Financial assistance available through 'Freeing Voices, Changing Lives Scholarship Fund'.
2. Annual Gala Fundraiser: Primary fundraising event with sponsorship packages: AIS Champion ($100,000), Freeing Voices ($50,000), Changing Lives ($25,000). The 2025 19th Annual Gala raised over $1 million for therapy, education, and programming.
3. Professional Training Services: Training and consultation services for speech-language and mental health professionals who provide therapy to people who stutter. Individual and group training available with scholarship assistance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AIS provides specialized stuttering therapy services for children, teens, and adults using a holistic clinical approach that addresses physical, cognitive, and emotional components of stuttering. Services include individual therapy, parent support, group therapy, support groups, immersion programs, and professional training for speech-language pathologists, delivered in-person at NYC and Atlanta clinics and via tele-practice nationwide. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded through therapy fees, donations, and an annual fundraising gala.

Product overview

The American Institute for Stuttering (AIS) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering a comprehensive suite of speech therapy and support services for people who stutter. The core service portfolio consists of Individual Stuttering Therapy (using a holistic approach incorporating avoidance reduction, acceptance commitment, and rational emotive behavioral therapies), Parent Support Services, and Support Groups and Group Therapy. These are delivered across specialized programs for different age groups: Stuttering Therapy for Preschoolers, Speech Therapy for Kids, Speech Therapy for Teens, and Speech Therapy for Adults. AIS also offers Professional Training for speech-language pathologists, Intensive Immersion Programs, and Weekly Practice and Support Groups. Services are available in-person at New York City and Atlanta locations, and via Tele-Practice (online video conferencing) nationwide. Financial Assistance through the Freeing Voices, Changing Lives Scholarship Fund helps ensure universal affordability. The organization hosts an Annual Gala as its primary fundraiser and provides Educational Resources including brochures and a video library.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Stuttering Therapy One-on-one speech-language pathology sessions with certified therapists who specialize exclusively in stuttering, employing a holistic approach that addresses physical, cognitive, and emotional components through avoidance reduction therapy, acceptance and commitment approaches, and rational emotive behavioral therapy. For children, teens, and adults who stutter.
• Parent Support Services Professional guidance and training for parents of children who stutter, including consultation sessions, one-on-one appointments, and parent workshops to help families support their child's speech fluency and confidence.
• Support Groups and Group Therapy Group therapy and support group services for adults, teens, kids, and loved ones, offering practice opportunities in a safe group setting alongside others who share similar communication challenges.
• Professional Training for SLPs and Mental Health Professionals Training and continuing education programs for speech-language pathologists and mental health professionals seeking expertise in stuttering treatment, including workshops, Grand Rounds sessions, and individual or group consultation, with scholarship assistance available.
• Stuttering Therapy for Preschoolers Specialized stuttering therapy for young children who stutter, including evaluation services, parent-focused indirect treatment approaches, and direct therapy for children showing awareness and avoidance behaviors.
• Speech Therapy for Kids Stuttering therapy services for school-age children delivered by certified speech-language pathologists, focusing on maintaining confident communication, learning to stutter without struggle, self-advocacy, and developing healthy attitudes about themselves as communicators.
• Speech Therapy for Teens Specialized therapy for teenagers addressing the unique social and academic challenges of stuttering, helping teens learn to stutter more easily, develop healthy self-esteem, and communicate more confidently.
• Speech Therapy for Adults Individual therapy services for adults who stutter, helping reduce avoidance behaviors, learn to speak without tension and struggle, and develop healthy thoughts and emotions about their communication abilities.
• Tele-Practice (Online Therapy) Online video conferencing-based stuttering therapy providing the convenience of participating in individual and group therapy sessions remotely, available nationwide for clients unable to attend in-person sessions.
• Immersion Programs Week-long intensive therapy programs running throughout the year, providing concentrated treatment for individuals seeking accelerated progress in managing their stuttering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% of AIS clients would recommend AIS to a friend when surveyed
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Emily BluntflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 September 2026Emily Blunt, actress and AIS Board Member, serves as host for the 20th Annual Gala. She has hosted multiple galas and actively promotes AIS through her public platform.
• National Stuttering Association (NSA)coreOthersAIS is listed on NSA's referral resources. NSA is the largest support group organization in the US for people who stutter.
• The Stuttering FoundationcoreOthersAIS is referenced alongside The Stuttering Foundation as a resource. The Foundation provides free resources and support for research.
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)coreOthersAIS clinical staff are ASHA Certified. ASHA is the professional, scientific, and credentialing association for speech-language pathologists.
• American Board of Fluency DisorderscoreOthersAIS Director Dr. Heather Grossman is Board Certified Specialist in Fluency Disorders (BCS-F) through this organization.
• Michael Kidd-GilchristflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFormer NBA player who founded nonprofit to spread stuttering awareness and change insurance laws. Winner of 2025 Freeing Voices, Changing Lives Award. Now proud AIS Board member.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA): Professional credentialing and scientific association for SLPs and audiologists. Comparable as a stuttering-adjacent authority body; AIS clinicians hold ASHA certification and ASHA sets the standards within which AIS operates.
• Small Talk Therapy / Typical SLP Private Practices: Expressable and similar online SLP platforms offer generalist pediatric and adult speech therapy, including fluency services, often with insurance billing. Comparable as tele-practice speech-therapy providers competing for stuttering clients at lower price points and broader insurance access.

Direct peers

• Stuttering Association for the Young (SAY): Nonprofit delivering programs, summer camps, and support for young people who stutter. Comparable mission and population overlap with AIS's preschool, kid, and teen therapy services.
• Hollins Communication Research Institute: Nonprofit specializing in stuttering treatment through intensive, research-based therapy programs. Directly comparable specialty fluency-disorder clinic competing for the same therapy-seeking population.
• National Stuttering Association (NSA): Largest US support-group organization for people who stutter and an active referral source for AIS. Directly comparable as a stuttering-focused nonprofit, with overlapping community events and awareness mission.
• Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter: Nonprofit focused on children and teens who stutter. Comparable in mission and audience overlap with AIS's preschool/kid/teen segments, though organized around community/events rather than clinical therapy.
• The Stuttering Foundation: National nonprofit that provides free resources, research support, and referrals for people who stutter. Directly comparable to AIS as a mission-aligned nonprofit serving the same fluency-disorder population, though it focuses more on education/resources than clinical therapy delivery.

Emerging players

• SpeechEasy: Sells altered-auditory-feedback anti-stuttering devices as an alternative or adjunct to behavioral stuttering therapy. Comparable as a competing approach for the same fluency-disorder market, offering a device-based alternative to AIS's therapy-based model.
• Stuttering Therapy Resources (Craig Coleman): Provider of stuttering-therapy training and clinical resources for SLPs. Comparable as a professional-training peer competing for the same continuing-education budget AIS targets through its professional training programs.

Regional players

• Marquette University Speech-Language Pathology Clinic: University-based SLP training clinic offering low-cost stuttering therapy in the Midwest. Comparable as a clinical service provider for fluency disorders but regionally focused and tied to an academic institution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stutteringtx
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/StutteringtreatmentOrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/StutteringTreatment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-institute-for-stuttering
• Instagraminstagram.com/aisstutter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Institute for Stuttering