[Treatment outcome study of the stuttering therapy summer camp 2000 for children and adolescents]

Therapists are generally confronted with the question, to what extent results of randomised clinical trials with their emphasis on internal validity are relevant for practitioners and their unselected patients. Often results from clinical trials are neglected in clinical practice and the "normal" practice remains unstudied. In this study a therapeutic approach for stuttering has been studied under practice conditions, but with a maximum of methodological validity. Beyond the concrete study it is also discussed whether the chosen procedure can be a model for practice studies. Patients from age 9 to 19 participated in a stuttering therapy summer-camp for children and adolescents by the Austria-Self-Aid-Initiative Stuttering. Participants were supposed to learn a more open handling of their stuttering and acquire basics for a fluent speech. The therapy concept includes elements of a fluency shaping and a stuttering modification therapy. The evaluation followed a panel design with two assessments before, one assessment after therapy and one follow-up and three types of measurement: 1. three videotaped speech situations, 2. four questionnaires for the participants and their parents, and 3. Goal Attainment Scalings (GAS). The stuttering frequency shows a reduction from 22.2 to 9.5 % (effect size 1.29). Follow-up results, GAS and all questionnaires also indicate clear improvements. Altogether, the Therapeutic Stuttering Summer-camp was able to reach its aims.