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From: Ann Packman
Date: 10/6/03
Time: 10:59:42 PM
Remote Name: 129.78.64.100
I think there are two guiding principles when it comes to intervening with stuttering in young children. The first is that the welfare of the individual child and family is the primary consideration. The second is that while individual circumstances are important, decisions about treatment should also be guided by the available research evidence. This is no more than one would expect from one’s physician! So, it is not possible to answer your (I presume hypothetical) question about the 3-year old child without knowing the individual circumstances. You are correct in saying that we know from the research that children may stutter for two years, or even more, before recovering naturally. I come from the “Lidcombe school”, and I also know from research, conducted in both Australia and the United Kingdom, that this program is just as likely to be effective if a “watchful waiting” approach is taken for a year or so after the onset of stuttering. So, if the intended intervention is the Lidcombe Program, it seems to me to be preferable to wait for a while—even up to a year in some cases—in the hope that the child will recover naturally. Of course, children have usually been stuttering for some period prior to being seen by the SLP, so the SLP needs to question the parent carefully about when the stuttering started. Getting back to the child you mention, from our experience parents can still conduct the Lidcombe Program effectively at home and elsewhere in the child’s everyday environment, even when the child is attending kindergarten. One of the challenges for the SLP is “problem-solving”; namely, helping parents find the time and the space to do the treatment, again taking the individual family circumstances into account. I hope this has been helpful!
Ann