Telehealth adaptation of the Lidcombe Program of Early Stuttering Intervention: five case studies

This article describes and reports data-based outcomes of a low-tech telehealth adaptation of the Lidcombe Program of Early Stuttering Intervention. Participants were 5 children with early stuttering, ranging in age from 3;5 (years;months) to 5;7, and their families. All children met the speech criteria for completion of Stage 1 of the Lidcombe Program. Data suggested that the treatment method may be viable and that favorable outcomes may be achievable. Mean posttreatment stuttering rates in everyday speaking situations were available 12 months posttreatment for 4 children. Two children scored a mean percent syllables stuttered of less than 1.0 at that time, and 2 children scored a mean of below 2.0. As occurs often in standard delivery of the Lidcombe Progam, 1 child relapsed after Stage 1, apparently because of parental noncompliance, but this relapse was managed successfully. Follow up data were unavailable for 1 child. For 4 of the 5 cases, the number of consultations required exceeded established benchmarks for standard Lidcombe Program delivery, suggesting that telephone-based telehealth may be a less efficient version of the treatment. The implications of these preliminary data are discussed.