Investigating parent delivery of the Lidcombe Program

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Childhood developmental disorders
• Parent-mediated interventions

Background:

• The Lidcombe Program is a parent-delivered early childhood stuttering intervention.
• Parental implementation of the Lidcombe Program outside clinical settings is crucial but understudied.
• Understanding parent verbal contingencies (PVCs) is key to effective treatment delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the extent to which parents deliver contingencies for stuttering and stutter-free speech during home-based Lidcombe Program sessions.
• To analyze PVC delivery in both structured and unstructured conversations as per the treatment manual.
• To explore variations in parental implementation of the Lidcombe Program over time and across cases.

Main Methods:

• Three mother-child dyads participating in the Lidcombe Program were studied.
• Weekly home treatment sessions were audio-recorded over a period.
• Parent verbal contingencies (PVCs) in recordings were analyzed to assess implementation fidelity.

Main Results:

• The analysis successfully detected differences in PVC delivery by mothers, both between different cases and within individual cases over time.
• This methodology provided valuable insights into the practical application of the Lidcombe Program in the home environment.
• Variations in contingency delivery suggest potential areas for targeted parental support.

Conclusions:

• Analyzing home treatment sessions offers valuable data on parent-led stuttering interventions.
• The methodology, with minor modifications, is suitable for larger-scale studies on early childhood stuttering treatments.
• Further research using this approach is recommended to enhance understanding and effectiveness of parent-implemented therapies.