42 | FEBRUARY 27 • 2020
Health
continued from page 41
when I started high school.
“I learned along the way I
cannot shy away from speak-
ing in front of people, and I
have to embrace that I am a
person born with a stutter and
I cannot control that, but I can
control how hard I work to
overcome it.
”
STATISTICS AND HELP
Approximately 3 million
Americans stutter, accord-
ing to the National Institute
on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders
(NIDCD). While stuttering
occurs most often in children
between ages 2 and 6, it can
affect people of all ages.
Boys have a higher inci-
dence of stuttering than girls,
a disparity that increases with
age. Seventy-five percent of
children outgrow their stutter-
ing, while the other 25 percent
continue to stutter in varying
degrees through-
out their lifetimes.
Stuttering often
runs in families,
and researchers
at the National
Institutes of
Health have
found there may be a genetic
component.
“If a child’
s stuttering per-
sists longer than six months,
or if they’
re older when the
stuttering begins, you may
need to seek intervention,
”
advised Albiona Rakipi, a
speech and language pathol-
ogist and clinical supervisor
at the Kaufman Children’
s
Center in West Bloomfield.
In addition to seeking pro-
fessional help, Rakipi suggests
parents create an environ-
ment that makes it easier for
children to speak. This could
include reducing a parent’
s rate
of speech so a child does not
feel rushed when producing
a response. She also recom-
mends support groups and
says support and treatment
for those who stutter and their
families are important for
optimal outcomes.
Bressler credits his par-
ents, Elisa Weinbaum Geisz
of Berkley, Michigan, and
Jay Bressler of Palm Beach
Gardens, Florida, for helping
him gain the confidence he
needed to accomplish goals.
“We treated him normally.
I think the sports helped …
he loved playing basketball,
”
Jay Bressler said. He advises
parents of children who stutter
to “find something they’
re pas-
sionate about and use that to
help them build confidence.
”
He also stressed the impor-
tance of listening patiently to
children, which can be diffi-
cult when they are struggling
to speak. His son agrees.
“Other people would try to
finish my sentences, but my
mom and teachers would wait,
even if it took 30 minutes to
get out what I wanted to get
out,
” Dylan said. “It’
s hard for
the person listening, I know,
but it’
s better for the other
person.
”
Above all, he has learned
that stuttering does not define
who he is or diminish his
accomplishments.
“There will be good days
and bad days, but don’
t let
it affect you as a person. If it
affects other people, then that’
s
their issue.
”
Stuttering Resources
• National Stuttering
Association
• Stuttering Foundation of
America
• American Board of Fluency
and Fluency Disorders
Albiona
Rakipi
CATARACT AND EYE CONSULTANTS
OF MICHIGAN
23133 Orchard Lake Road, Ste. 200
Farmington, MI 48336
Phone: (248) 478-8990
AND
29753 Hoover Road
Warren, MI 48093
Phone: (586) 573-4333
www.eyeconsultantsofmich.com
By Esther Allweiss Ingber
Amanda Salter, MD, a comprehensive ophthalmologist specializing in cataract
surgery, will mark her second anniversary with Cataract and Eye Consultants of
Michigan on April 1. It’s also the date that she will begin seeing patients at the
brand new Farmington practice location.
A native of Farmington Hills, Dr. Salter, 36, “will take a leading role” in the new
office. Joining her at both locations will be Dr. Sarah Muenk-Gold and Dr. Alan
Parent. The three physicians are board-certified ophthalmologists and fellows of
the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Salter, daughter of Adrea Benkoff, MD, is a second-generation ophthalmologist
at Cataract and Eye Consultants.
“I began seeing my mother’s patients after she retired in March 2018,” Dr. Salter
said. Dr. Benkoff spent nearly 30 years with the practice.
Dr. Salter’s medically-oriented family also includes her husband, Matthew Salter,
DO, an anesthesiologist; father, David Benkoff, MD, a gastroenterologist; sister,
Reesa Benkoff, JD, who practices healthcare law, representing physicians; and
father-in-law, Michael Salter, DPM, a podiatrist.
Growing up, Dr. Salter and her Benkoff family belonged to Adat Shalom Syna-
gogue. She and her husband are Temple Beth El members now, along with daugh-
ters Liora, 5, and Daphne, 3.
Dr. Salter graduated from North Farmington High School and continued her studies
at the University of Michigan. She earned her medical degree at New York Uni-
versity and did her ophthalmology residency training in the Ivy League at Brown
University in Rhode Island. She practiced in Massachusetts before returning home
to continue her practice in the Detroit area.
The doctors on staff at Cataract and Eye Consultants are “excellent surgeons and
clinicians,” said Dr. Salter. “We all do everything within the field of ophthalmology
but also have our areas of expertise.”
The focus of Dr. Salter’s practice is cataract surgery, glaucoma, dry-eye syndrome
and facial rejuvenation, primarily for aesthetic reasons, through the use of Botox
and dermal fillers.
“We strive to stay up to date with technological advances in
ophthalmology, so we can offer the newest advancements to
our patients,” said Dr. Salter.
She’s excited about being able to offer her dry-eye patients a
new eyelid treatment in the near future, to be administered
in the office. For cataract surgery, an out-patient procedure,
the ophthalmologists are utilizing state-of-the-art technology
with more precise accuracy. Astigmatism is managed with-
out requiring needles or stitches.
Regarding facial rejuvenation, “when people age 30
to 50 begin receiving treatments, they may reduce
the likelihood of getting deeper wrinkles when
they’re older,” said Dr. Salter.
The Farmington office of Cataract and Eye Con-
sultants is already taking appointments. “My
passion is treating disease in and around the
eye, and I work hard to care for my patients,”
she said.
DR. AMANDA SALTERS