Working with young children who stutter: raising our game

Several therapy programs have been demonstrated to be effective in supporting the development of fluency in preschool children who stutter. However, there is increasing evidence in allied fields suggesting that a positive therapy outcome cannot be entirely attributed to the therapy program itself, but also depends on what the therapist brings to the therapeutic context. This article seeks to discuss the therapist's skills and attributes that play a part in the development of the therapeutic alliance, which underpins therapy involving parents of young children who stutter. Using a model of clinical expertise development, the article discusses the attributes and skills that are necessary for the development of expertise, along with the behavioral and cognitive changes that evolve as a therapist becomes increasingly expert at using one particular program, Palin Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.