PURPOSE:The present study aims to report on the psychosocial outcomes of children aged 6-12 years who did or did not respond to the Lidcombe Program. METHOD:Thirty-seven 6- to 12-year-old children participated in a Phase II trial of the Lidcombe Program using video telehealth. Treatment progress was documented using stuttering severity ratings and three psychosocial outcome measures (Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering-School-Age Children, Communication Attitude Test, and Spence Children's Anxiety Scale). We examine the results of these psychosocial outcomes in relation to children who did and did not respond to the program. RESULTS:Significant improvements were observed across all psychosocial measures, irrespective of responsiveness group. Individual trajectories highlighted heterogeneity, but group data revealed statistically significant reductions in measures of stuttering impact, negative communication attitudes, and anxiety symptoms from pretreatment to 12 months posttreatment, with no evidence of differential effects between responsiveness groups. CONCLUSIONS:Findings suggest that the Lidcombe Program may provide psychosocial benefits beyond stuttering reduction to some children, potentially through the therapeutic alliance fostered between clinicians, children, and families. The Lidcombe Program appears to be psychologically safe and may confer psychosocial advantages for school-age children who stutter, regardless of whether their stuttering partially reduced, stopped, or persisted. Future research should explore longer term maintenance of these psychosocial gains and conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of the Lidcombe Program relative to a control group.

Purpose eHealth treatments have been developed for a range of conditions. They provide an accessible, cost-effective, and convenient model for clients and families to access treatment. The aim of this paper is to provide details and results of user testing of an eHealth speech treatment for adults who stutter: iCamperdown. Method An iterative user-testing process was conducted using a think-aloud method and structured questionnaires. End users were adults who stutter and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Results Based on user feedback, the program underwent several modifications. Changes made to the program included functional enhancements. These include automatic activation of audio instructions on each page to improve navigation, aesthetic modifications to improve acceptability such as rearranging of information, changes to instructions provided to users to improve clarity, and enhancing the quality of audio recordings to increase efficiency. Conclusion The iCamperdown program is now ready to be evaluated with a Phase I clinical trial, focussing on evaluating safety, compliance, and preliminary outcomes. Further clinical trialing could investigate baseline predictors and treatment moderators to identify which individuals are most likely to benefit from the program. iCamperdown has advantages and disadvantages, which we explore. We explore the prospect of automating iCamperdown with advanced machine learning techniques. Potentially, the iCamperdown Program for stuttering reduction, with translation into other world languages besides English, could be a transformative change to SLP practices internationally.

PURPOSE:Thirty-five years ago, the Lidcombe Program was introduced as a new evidence-based treatment for early stuttering. This milestone presents an opportunity to examine the Lidcombe Program and its relevance today. METHOD:Four Lidcombe Program developers, together with 17 members of the Lidcombe Program Trainers Consortium, reflected on the program's historic origins, early reception, current status, and future direction. CONCLUSIONS:This review of the program explores its origins in the context of causal theories of stuttering and its place in the modern clinical context. We point out that the Lidcombe Program intervention process incorporates social and medical perspectives of childhood stuttering. Empirical knowledge about stuttering and its effects early in life are considered. We consider the evidence base supporting the Lidcombe Program and its implementation in the current international speech-language pathology community. We also consider future directions for the treatment.

BACKGROUND:For children older than 6 years who stutter, there is a gap in clinical research. This is an issue for speech-language pathologists because the tractability of stuttering decreases and the risk of long-term psychological consequences increase with age.PURPOSE:To report a Phase II trial of a telehealth version of the Lidcombe Program with school-age children.METHODS:Participants were 37 children who stuttered, 6-12 years of age, from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Parents were trained by video telehealth how to deliver the Lidcombe Program to their child. Primary and secondary outcomes were stuttering severity and psychosocial functioning measured pre-treatment and at 6 months and 12 months after starting treatment. Parents submitted two 10-minute recordings of their child speaking in conversation, and three measures of anxiety, impact of stuttering, and communication attitude.RESULTS:Six months after starting treatment, seven children (18.9%) attained Lidcombe Program Stage 2 criteria, 25 children (67.6%) showed a partial response to treatment, and five children (13.5%) showed no response. By 12 months, 12 children (32.4%) had reached Stage 2 criteria. Psychosocial improvements were observed 6 and 12 months after starting treatment.CONCLUSIONS:The Lidcombe Program may eliminate or nearly eliminate stuttering for about one third of children 6-12 years of age. Randomized controlled trials with this age group involving the Lidcombe Program are warranted. In the interim, the Lidcombe Program is a clinical option clinicians can implement with this age group to reduce stuttering and its psychosocial impacts.

Purpose:Childhood stuttering is common and can have debilitating, long-term psychosocial implications if prompt and effective treatment is not provided. The Lidcombe Program has robust clinical evidence for treating stuttering in early childhood. The results of a recent Phase II trial with a cohort of 6-12-year-old children showed that this treatment may benefit a much broader age range of children than initially thought. Benefits included improved communication attitudes, and reduced impact of stuttering and social anxiety symptoms. This study describes how clinicians can use the Lidcombe Program flexibly to cater to the varied needs of older children.Method:The Johnson et al. (2024) trial of the Lidcombe Program included clinical mentoring meetings every 2 weeks between the treating clinician and a member of the Lidcombe Program Trainers Consortium. Practical recommendations and clinical resources were developed to help clinicians adapt aspects of the available Lidcombe Program Treatment Guide (Onslow et al., 2021) for 6-12-year-old children.Results:Five key themes emerged from the clinical mentoring meetings to support clinicians. These included (a) active generalization of stutter-free speech to everyday conversations, (b) strategies for engaging the child in treatment, (c) examples of non-verbal contingencies, (d) optimizing treatment dosage for busy families, and (e) versatile clinical resources for different settings and child ages.Conclusions:This report provides resources for speech-language pathologists who manage school-age children who stutter. The recommendations and resources described in this report are designed to assist clinicians with adapting the Lidcombe Program for a wider age range of children.

INTRODUCTION:While research has shown that parents of preschool-aged children who stutter (CWS) may be negatively affected by their child's stuttering, few studies have investigated their mental health. If parents of CWS have poor mental health, this may impact stuttering treatment choices, the conduct of treatment, stuttering treatment outcomes, and the development of stuttering treatments.METHODS:82 parents (74 mothers and 8 fathers) of preschool-aged children who stutter (aged 1-5) were recruited upon application for an assessment for their child. A survey battery extracting quantitative and qualitative information about symptoms of potential depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological distress, as well as the emotional effect of stuttering on parents was administered and the results summarized.RESULTS:Data from standardised measures revealed similar incidence as normative data for the presence of stress, anxiety or depression (1 in 6 parents) and distress (almost 1 in 5 parents). However, more than half of the participants reported experiencing a negative emotional effect due to their child's stuttering and a large proportion also reported that stuttering influenced their communication with their child.CONCLUSIONS:Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) should broaden the scope of their duty of care to include the parents of CWS more fully. Parents should be provided with informational counselling or other support services that will help reduce worry and anxiety related to negative emotions.

Purpose: Telepractice has been shown to be a viable modality for the delivery of stuttering treatment. Since the advent of COVID-19, speech-language pathologists must adapt in-clinic treatments for online presentation. This research aimed to gather information from speechlanguage pathologists on their experiences of telepractice to deliver the Lidcombe Program to treat stuttering in young children. Methods: This paper presents the findings of an online survey that polled the clinical experiences of 106 speech-language pathologists who were delivering the Lidcombe Program via telepractice during COVID-19. Results: The majority of respondents were experienced clinicians from the United States and Canada who had attended a Lidcombe Program workshop. Prior to COVID-19, 80 % had provided some clinical services online (up to 10 % of the time), and at the start of COVID-19 public lockdown orders, 77 % viewed telepractice as both a necessity and an opportunity. Three months after the public lockdown orders, the large majority, 94 %, said that they would continue to use both telepractice and in-clinic treatment in the future. Technology issues, concerns about establishing the clinical relationship, and identification of mild stuttering featured as challenges of telepractice service delivery, while benefits included time efficiency, flexibility of scheduling, and improved clinical processes. Conclusion: Respondents reported that the Lidcombe Program was easily translatable to telepractice and the majority intend to continue telepractice in the future.

BACKGROUND:Negative reactions experienced by people who stutter often stem from unfounded attitudes and beliefs in the community.PURPOSE:There is a need to better understand current public attitudes towards stuttering in Australia. The purpose of this study was to: (a) explore the attitudes and knowledge of a large sample of the Australian public using the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attitudes-Stuttering [POSHA-S], (b) identify how the reported attitudes towards, and knowledge of, stuttering compare to existing data, and (c) identify differences between groups for variables identified.METHODS:A cross-sectional population study using the POSHA-S was conducted in Melbourne, Australia. Comparisons of the attitudes towards stuttering of this sample were made with data from other worldwide samples on the POSHA-S database. The influence on attitudes to stuttering of variables including age, gender, education level, country of birth, employment status and number of languages spoken was explored.RESULTS:The Overall Stuttering Score (OSS) of the Australian sample was higher than the median score on the POSHA-S database. This suggests that the Australian public holds more positive attitudes than those other countries represented in the database. Being younger, more educated, employed, female, monolingual, born in Australia and not familiar with people who stutter were related to more positive attitudes for this sample. Some negative stereotypes towards stuttering were noted; people who stutter were identified as 'shy and fearful', and 'nervous and excitable'.CONCLUSIONS:While the Australian public has generally positive attitudes towards stuttering, these attitudes still reflect some 'stuttering stereotypes'.

ABSTRACT The Lidcombe Program (Onslow et al., 2020) is a treatment designed for pre-school children who stutter. To date, there has been no published account from a child of early stuttering experiences with Lidcombe Program treatment. Such an account may (1) inform clinicians when they are considering the timing of intervention, (2) assist with the choice of a treatment, and (3) provide resources to supplement treatment with the Lidcombe Program. Consequently, this report is a record of separate interviews with a child and parent about their Lidcombe Program treatment experience, seven years after the conclusion of successful treatment. It is intended that this report and the accompanying video interview in the supplemental material can be a useful resource for clinicians when considering Lidcombe Program treatment.

Purpose: The natural stuttering recovery rate by adulthood is high. Community cohort studies suggest a much lower rate during the first 18 months after onset, but this may be different for clinical cohorts of pre-school aged children. The present research and case presentations add to data reported by Franken et al. by investigating early natural recovery for a clinical cohort. Method: Participants were 16 pre-school children presenting to a clinic with stuttering onset 1-15 months earlier. The children were studied for a mean of 19.4 months (84.3 weeks) using parent report and clinician identification of stuttering from recorded conversations. The children received no treatment during the study. Data were obtained for each participant and are presented graphically. Result: Experienced speech-language pathologists detected stuttering in the recordings of 3 of 4 children identified as recovered by their parents. Only 1 of the 16 children (6.3%) was confirmed as recovered. Conclusion: There is no reason to believe that the early natural recovery rate for clinically presenting children is different from community cohorts. Parent report of natural recovery during the pre-school years needs to be confirmed by clinician observation of the child's speech; otherwise, there is risk of harmful false negative identification. The present data support the Yairi et al. different recovery pathways for children who stutter.

PURPOSE:Speech restructuring treatment can effectively reduce stuttering but the resultant speech may sound unnatural. Martin et al. (1984) speech naturalness scale is widely used by clinicians and researchers, yet little is known about whether including normally fluent speech samples alters the judgement of the naturalness of speech samples of people who stutter, and whether attributes of listeners - specifically training and sex - influence ratings.METHODS:In this study 20 untrained listeners (male and female) and 19 speech language pathology students (female only) rated either the naturalness of 21 speech samples from adults who stutter obtained post-treatment, or the same 21 post-treatment samples randomly mixed with samples of 21 samples from normally fluent speakers matched for age and sex. The independent variables were sample composition (addition of fluent controls) and listener training. The dependent variable was listener naturalness rating.RESULTS:A two-factor ANOVA with listener training and sample composition as independent variables and naturalness ratings as the dependent variable was performed. Untrained listeners rated samples as significantly less natural than trained listeners. The addition of control samples did not significantly impact scores assigned to post-treatment samples. A comparison of male and female listeners was completed using the Mann Whitney U Test. A significant group difference was observed with female listeners rating the samples more leniently (more natural) than male listeners.CONCLUSION:Based on this preliminary research, the addition of controls does not appear necessary in evaluating speech naturalness, however the composition of the listener group may affect results.

This seminar will combine several themes or topics of the conference: effectiveness and efficacy of therapy, stuttering in adults and technology in practice. It will have a focus on innovative practice including stand-alone treatment, application of technologies, incorporation of self-help groups and self-management. Fluency maintenance and relapse are issues most speech therapists have to routinely manage during the long-term treatment process. However, in spite of outcome research showing the very real need for relapse prevention and relapse management and theoretical recommendations, clinicians often have to draw on their own experiences about how and when to implement relapse prevention strategies. This presentation helps clinicians to develop client focussed relapse prevention and/or relapse management strategies by drawing on relevant research outcomes, the clinical experience of the presenters as stuttering treatment specialists, and those of other participants. Craig (2010) confirms the importance of generalizing fluency skills and offering anti-relapse therapy following initial treatment (p.214). Indeed, most programs and research trials include recommendations for a focus on relapse or maintenance, but few provide the clinical strategies with which to do this. Maintenance and relapse management require specific clinical skills and careful monitoring, by both the clinician and the client. This seminar/workshop will draw on evidence for managing stuttering across the lifespan. It will address strategies to manage fluency maintenance to enhance treatment outcome. In particular, it will also address a variety of ways of facilitating fluency following relapse in adolescents and adults who stutter. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss their own and some set clinical scenarios. Video examples will be provided indicating problems identified by clients who have presented for relapse management. Participants will engage in problem-solving a wide range of issues that can cause relapse. There will be opportunities to discuss and set realistic goals, from several perspectives. A range of treatment strategies will be identified and the merits of each will be discussed. Incorporation of recent findings regarding anxiety and mood disorders will be presented (e.g. Iverach, Jones et al., 2009; Iverach, O-Brian et al., 2009). The inclusion of telehealth as a practical option (Carey et al., 2009) will be discussed, to increase service options. The proposers of the seminar are both experienced speech therapists and clinical educators with many years of experience treating adults and adolescents who stutter. They propose a flexible opportunity to interact with clinical scenarios and problem solve in small groups, whilst incorporating current research findings.

Purpose: This Phase I clinical trial explored the viability of webcam Internet delivery of the Camperdown Program for adolescents who stutter.Method and Procedure: Participants were 3 adolescents ages 13, 15, and 16 years, with moderate-severe stuttering. Each was treated with the Camperdown Program delivered by webcam with no clinic attendance. Primary outcome measures were percentage of syllables stuttered and number of treatment sessions to maintenance. Secondary outcome measures were speech naturalness, situation avoidance, self-reported stuttering severity, and parent and adolescent satisfaction. Data were collected pre treatment and at 1 day, 6 months, and 12 months post entry to maintenance.Results: Participants entered maintenance after means of 18 sessions and 11 clinician hours. Group mean reduction of stuttering from pre treatment to entry to maintenance was 83%, from pre treatment to 6 months post entry to maintenance was 93%, and from pre treatment to 12 months post entry to maintenance was 74%. Self-reported stuttering severity ratings confirmed these results. Post entry to maintenance speech naturalness for participants fell within the range of that of 3 matched controls. However, avoidance of speech situations showed no corresponding improvements for 2 of the participants.Conclusion: The service delivery model was efficacious and efficient. All of the participants and their parents also found it appealing. Results justify a Phase II trial of the delivery model.

OBJECTIVESDuring speech pathology professional preparation there is a need for adequate student instruction with speech-restructuring treatments for adults. An important part of that clinical educational experience is to participate in a clinical setting that produces outcomes equivalent to those attained during clinical trials. A previous report showed that this is possible with a traditional, intensive speech-restructuring treatment. Considering the treatment process advantages and time efficiency of the Camperdown Program, it is arguably a compelling prospect for clinician education. Therefore, the present study is a Phase I trial of the treatment at a student university clinic, with a similar design to a previous report.BACKGROUNDDuring speech pathology professional preparation there is a need for adequate student instruction with speech-restructuring treatments for adults. An important part of that clinical educational experience is to participate in a clinical setting that produces outcomes equivalent to those attained during clinical trials. A previous report showed that this is possible with a traditional, intensive speech-restructuring treatment. Considering the treatment process advantages and time efficiency of the Camperdown Program, it is arguably a compelling prospect for clinician education.AIMSThe present study is a Phase I trial of the treatment at a student university clinic, with a similar design to a previous report.METHODS & PROCEDURESThe design was a non-randomized Phase I clinical trial with 12 adult participants. Primary outcomes were per cent syllables stuttered (%SS) within and beyond the clinic, and speech naturalness scores from pre- and post-treatment stutter-free speech samples.OUTCOMES & RESULTSPooled %SS scores pre-treatment were 5.7, at immediate post-treatment were 1.0, and at 12 months post-treatment were 2.4. The group speech naturalness scores post-treatment did not increase to a clinically significant extent.CONCLUSION & IMPLICATIONSResults essentially replicate the previous study by producing similar outcomes to those attained with clinical trials. The Camperdown Program is recommended as a clinical environment for speech-restructuring speech pathology student training.

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderFeature1 Oct 2012The Promise of Web-Based Stuttering Treatment Brenda Carey andPhD Mark OnslowPhD Brenda Carey Google Scholar More articles by this author , PhD and Mark Onslow Google Scholar More articles by this author , PhD https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.FTR3.17122012.18 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In For the speech-language pathologist who treats stuttering, telepractice holds great appeal. It allows treatment to be provided remotely to anyone, anywhere as needed. And that greatly enhances patients’ access to speech-language services and helps provide equal care for equal need. The challenge, of course, is ensuring that the quality of distance service provision is, indeed, equal to service provided in clinic. Researchers in several countries have examined the viability of telepractice as an alternative to in-clinic treatment for a variety of communication disorders, including stuttering. In particular, researchers in Australia have been working to tailor stuttering treatment for telepractice delivery. At first they tested a telephone-administered version of a treatment known as the Camperdown program (O’Brian, Onslow, Cream, & Packman, 2003). This speech restructuring treatment teaches stuttering control through use of a novel speech pattern, a strong focus on developing patient self-monitoring, and SLP-patient problem solving. The telephone-administered program produced substantial and lasting reductions in stuttering that are comparable to those of traditionally delivered Camperdown treatment but in fewer clinician hours, according to results of a nonrandomized (O’Brian, Packman, & Onslow, 2008) and a randomized controlled trial (Carey et al., 2010). However, these studies did not use computer-based webcam options, and they didn’t target any adolescents, only adults. Why might adolescents be especially well suited for webcam-based treatment? First, from a developmental perspective, adolescents tend to crave independence (Coleman & Hendry, 1999) and seek peer acceptance (Noller & Paton, 1990). Webcam service provision allows adolescents to attend treatment independently without relying on parents for transport, and within the privacy of their homes. Second, adolescence may be the last opportunity to treat stuttering before the verbal challenges of adulthood—which include furthering one’s education, seeking jobs, and partnering—begin. Finally, most of today’s adolescents are accustomed to using computers for social purposes (Desjarlais & Willoughby, 2010). For these reasons, we decided to test the viability of using Web-based videoconferencing to deliver the Camperdown program to adolescents (Carey, O’Brian, Onslow, Packman, & Menzies, 2012). As part of this Phase 1 trial, researchers provided treatment—entirely via Web-based videoconferencing during weekly, 30- to 60-minute sessions—to three adolescents with moderate to severe stuttering. Participants downloaded free software, including a program that permits digital audio recording and e-mailing of speech samples. After 13 to 24 sessions each, the adolescents showed marked, lasting reduction in their stuttering, and all three reported being comfortable with the technology. Here we take a closer look at their experiences. Jenna When treatment began, Jenna was a 16-year-old girl living in Sydney, Australia, with her parents, who worked full-time, and three siblings, the youngest of whom was a toddler. Jenna reportedly began to stutter at age 4, and her stuttering was moderately severe, at 16.7% syllables stuttered (%SS) pre-treatment. Like many adolescents, Jenna led a busy life. She was in the second-to-last year of schooling, played soccer recreationally twice each week, and also worked part-time in a clothing store. As the oldest child, she often helped care for her siblings. This busy schedule resulted in some missed or postponed in-person appointments with an SLP. Treatment sessions were held after school on a laptop Jenna took to her bedroom. Jenna established criterion stuttering reduction during the 13 sessions of Stage I Camperdown treatment, and so began Stage II, the maintenance component. Although they were supportive of Jenna’s treatment, her parents had minimal active involvement in it. Jenna preferred to do the required speech practice with siblings and peers. Jenna showed an 88% reduction of stuttering severity from pre-treatment to post-treatment, and she maintained a 50% reduction 12 months later. Her speaking-situation avoidance scores—a marker of social anxiety—showed little change from pre-treatment to post-treatment. On a scale ranging from 8 (no situation avoidance) to 24 (high situation avoidance), Jenna’s score was 17 at pre-treatment and 15 at 12 months post-treatment. In her post-treatment interview with an independent researcher, Jenna said what she liked most about the Web-based videoconferencing was that she didn’t have to “race home from school and get ready and go somewhere” and could still help babysit her siblings. She said it had been “interesting” using a new program, but occasionally “frustrating” if there were Internet difficulties. Jenna said she found treatment “comfortable...because I was in my own house and in a more familiar place.” She said if she attended further treatment, her preference would be for Web-based videoconferencing. Jenna’s parents reported similar sentiments, saying the treatment was “convenient and time-saving.” Luca At the start of treatment, Luca was a 15-year-old boy living in Sydney. He is a child of immigrants and has an older married brother. Luca reportedly began stuttering at age 9. The family spoke English at home, although Luca spoke Italian with some family and friends. Luca was in the second-to-last year of schooling and had high academic aspirations, describing himself as “a very capable and conscientious student.” He was motivated to reduce his stuttering, which he felt might “hold him back” in the future. His preference was to practice his speech with uncles and cousins. His pre-treatment stuttering was severe, at 21.8% SS, predominantly prolongations and blocks. Luca had his treatment sessions at home, in his bedroom. Although his parents were usually at home during his sessions, Luca preferred to attend treatment independently. When asked, he would invite a parent into the session to practice. Luca showed a 71% reduction of stuttering severity from pre-treatment to immediate post-treatment, and an 89% reduction from pre-treatment to 12 months post-treatment. As was true for Jenna, Luca’s speaking-avoidance scores showed little change from pre-treatment to post-treatment. His avoidance score was 17 at pre-treatment and 15 at 12 months post-treatment. This result highlights the potential need for anxiety management to accompany adolescent stuttering rehabilitation. He took 24 sessions to complete Stage I of the program. In discussing his treatment experience, Luca said he found it both “convenient and comfortable,” and that using a computer made treatment “more enjoyable.” Luca said he enjoyed being introduced to “a new social networking system,” which he looked forward to using with family and friends. Although Luca had not previously used a webcam, he described the program as user-friendly. He cited not having to travel or wait in a clinic waiting room as other advantages. Luca said occasional Internet hiccups did not affect his progress and that he preferred Web-based videoconferencing to in-clinic treatment. Luca’s father echoed these comments, saying “I think him being 16, his age is a whiz of the computer. In a way it made it enjoyable. It’s like he doesn’t get bored...it has become part of his everyday computer work. He doesn’t mind even if a session goes for one hour. The bottom line is that, as parents, we can see that our son has improved.” Edward Edward was a 13-year-old boy living in Canberra when treatment began. His mother reported that his stuttering onset was at age 2. Edward lived with both parents and a younger brother, age 11. His stuttering had triggered teasing and bullying from peers, and Edward reported avoiding speaking when possible. His pre-treatment stuttering severity was 9.2% SS. He had a 91% reduction of stuttering frequency from pre-treatment to post-treatment and 83% reduction from pre-treatment to 12 months post-treatment. He completed Stage I of the Camperdown program over 16 sessions, all of them attended by his father. Consistent with reports from other participants, Edward reported occasional frustration with Internet disruptions. However, having had in-clinic treatment previously, he described the webcam treatment as “easier” because he could “just hop up on my computer instead of going to the clinic.” Edward’s speaking avoidance scores showed large and consistent reductions from pre-treatment to 12 months post-treatment, dropping from 19 to 9. Edward’s father said of the Web-based videoconferencing, “there was nothing that I didn’t like.” In particular, he said that past treatment had required much travel, which added to his son’s anxiety and to financial costs. He said that Web-based videoconferencing had not diminished the therapeutic rapport: “[Edward] was just so relaxed. I think this is a big call but he is probably more relaxed with [his SLP] than he is at the school he goes to, and with his teachers. This is a big winner.” Future Directions These results are encouraging, pointing to the value of testing delivery of services via Web-based videoconferencing in future clinical trials. For the three adolescents and their parents, the treatment was enjoyable, user-friendly, and convenient. It also produced substantial, lasting reductions in the adolescents’ moderate to severe pre-treatment stuttering. Interestingly, the study suggested that some adolescents may retain clinically significant anxiety after treatment and require intervention for that anxiety. We caution, however, that these results are only preliminary, and there is much work to be done. First, service delivery via Web-based videoconferencing needs to be tested in a much larger sample of adolescents, and, subsequently, randomized controlled evidence is required. To this end, we have initiated a Phase II trial of Camperdown treatment via Web-based videoconferencing with 16 adolescents. Data from this work will provide the next chapter in this ongoing story. More information on the Australian Stuttering Research Centre and the Camperdown program can be found on the organization’s website. Sources O’Brian S., Onslow M., Cream A., & Packman A. (2003). The Camperdown program: Outcomes of a new prolonged-speech treatment model.Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 46, 933–946. LinkGoogle Scholar O’Brian S., Packman A., & Onslow M. (2008). Telehealth delivery of the Camperdown program for adults who stutter: A Phase I trial.Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 51, 184–195. LinkGoogle Scholar Carey B., O’Brian S., Onslow M., Block S., Jones M., & Packman A. (2010). Randomized controlled non-inferiority trial of a telehealth treatment for chronic stuttering: the Camperdown program.International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 45, 108–120. CrossrefGoogle Scholar Coleman J. C., & Hendry L. (1999). The nature of adolescence (3rd ed.). London: Routledge. Google Scholar Noller P., & Patton W. (1990). Maintaining family relationships at adolescence.In Heaven P. & Callan V. (Eds.), Adolescence: An Australian perspective. Sydney: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Google Scholar Desjarlais M., & Willoughby T. M. (2010). A longitudinal study of the relation between adolescent boys’ and girls’ computer use with friends and friendship quality: Support for the social compensation or rich-get-richer hypothesis.Computers in Human Behaviour, 26, 896–905. Google Scholar Carey B., O’Brian S., Onslow M., Packman A. & Menzies R. (2012). Webcam delivery of the Camperdown program for adolescents who stutter: A Phase I trial.Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 43, 370–380. LinkGoogle Scholar Author Notes Brenda Carey, PhD, is a private practitioner in Melbourne, Australia, who specializes in webcam stuttering treatment. Contact her at [email protected]. Mark Onslow, PhD, is founding director of the Australian Stuttering Research Centre at the University of Sydney. Contact him at [email protected]. Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 17Issue 12October 2012 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Oct 1, 2012 Metrics Downloaded 401 times Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagasha-article-typesCopyright & Permissions© 2012 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...

PURPOSE:The aim of the three studies in this article was to develop a way to include dual tasking in speech restructuring treatment for persons who stutter (PWS). It is thought that this may help clients maintain the benefits of treatment in the real world, where attentional resources are frequently diverted away from controlling fluency by the demands of other tasks.METHOD:In Part 1, 17 PWS performed a story-telling task and a computer semantic task simultaneously. Part 2 reports the incorporation of the Part 1 protocol into a handy device for use in a clinical setting (the Dual Task and Stuttering Device, DAS-D). Part 3 is a proof of concept study in which three PWS reported on their experiences of using the device during treatment.RESULTS:In Part 1, stuttering frequency and errors on the computer task both increased under dual task conditions, indicating that the protocol would be appropriate for use in a clinical setting. All three participants in Part 3 reported positively on their experiences using the DAS-D.CONCLUSIONS:Dual tasking during treatment using the DAS-D appears to be a viable clinical procedure. Further research is required to establish effectiveness.