Stammering : A Study of Children's Responsiveness to the Lidcombe Therapy Approach

Researchers:               Rosemarie Hayhow & Sue Roulstone

Source of funding:        The Underwood Trust

Start and end dates:     March 2001 - March 2006

The Lidcombe Program is a therapy for young children who stammer that was developed in Australia. It has been used in this country, by special trained speech and language therapists since the late 1990s. The therapy is different to previous therapists in that it takes a behavioural approach to modification of the child's speaking and the main 'therapist' is one of the child's parents. The speech and language therapist teaches each parent how to work with their child and, in the first instance, weekly sessions at the clinic are needed to do this.

A previous audit of data from therapists using the approach in UK and Eire revealed some variation in children's response to this parent based therapy. It is intended that the qualitative research project should results in a clearer definition of the children for whom the approach is effective and will generate hypotheses about modifications to the program or alternative approaches for the less responsive children. It is hoped that this will make it possible to direct children to the most appropriate method of treatment and to reduce their experiences of failed therapy. The results of the study will have international significance for children who stammer.

Progress: April 2004-March 2005

This year has been spent collecting data on children, their parents and the Speech and Language Therapists who work with them.

Data has been collected on 42 children, 20 of these were considered to have transient stammering and so didn't need therapy. Twenty two were considered suitable for the Lidcombe Programme and much fuller assessment and treatment data has been collected on these. Final treatment and outcome data is now required for only three of the Lidcombe children, the rest are complete.

Phone calls to parents whose children completed therapy a while ago revealed that all have maintained the progress made in therapy.

Fifteen parents have been selected for two face to face interviews. Five are now ready for their second interview, the rest have completed both.

The five therapists involved in the project have been interviewed and their views will be presented at the Oxford Dysfluency Conference.

Analysis and writing up is underway.

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