A Closer Look: The Effect of an Intensive Group Therapy Program for Young People who Stammer

AbstractThis study investigates the effect of a two-week intensive therapy group for three young people aged 10-14 years who stammer. The aims of this course are to enhance fluency and to reduce the impact of stuttering on both parents and children. Group activities seek to develop social communication skills, speech management strategies and management of the cognitive emotional aspects of the disorder (Cook & Botterill, 2005). Therapy recommendations are informed by children's and parents’ views of the stuttering and their degree of worry and anxiety about it.DesignA repeated measures multiple-case single subject experimental design was used. The study had four phases:Phase A - 5-week no therapy baselinePhase B - 2-week intensive treatment phasePhase C - 5-week consolidation phase during which treatment was self-managePhase D - 10-month maintenance phase (until 1 year post therapy).Outcome measuresSpeech samples of the children during reading and conversation tasks were recorded at home on a weekly basis during Phases A+C, daily during Phase B and monthly during Phase D. These were randomly analysed to determine percentage of stuttered syllables (%SS). Statistical analysis of the %SS was carried out using a simplified time-series analysis (Blumberg, 1984; Tryon, 1982). Parents and children's perceptions of the stuttering and its impact were measured using self-report measures. These measures were completed at the beginning of the baseline phase, the first and last day of the therapy phase, then at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months post-treatment.ResultsAnalysis of the results indicates that this therapy approach can be effective in reducing stammering and the impact that it has on children and parents in the short and long term. The findings highlight the individual variability in outcomes for different children and the fluctuating nature of progress over time