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Stuttering severity and treatment outcome.
R Ladouceur1, C Caron, G Caron
1Ecole de Psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|March 1, 1989
Summary
This stuttering treatment effectively improved mild and moderate cases, but not severe stuttering. Self-efficacy accurately predicted treatment success in this study.
Area of Science:
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Stuttering (also known as stammering) is a complex speech disorder.
- Multidimensional treatment approaches aim to address various aspects of stuttering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a multidimensional stuttering treatment program.
- To assess the treatment's efficacy across different severity levels of stuttering.
- To examine the relationship between cognitive measures and treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A multidimensional treatment including awareness training, regulated breathing, cognitive restructuring, and relapse prevention was employed.
- Three multiple baseline designs across subjects were utilized.
- Behavioral measures (percentage of syllables stuttered, speech rate) and cognitive measures (self-efficacy, locus of control, Erickson Scale) were assessed.
Main Results:
- Significant clinical improvement was observed in all mild stutterers and most moderate stutterers.
- No severe stutterers (≥15% syllables stuttered) achieved clinical improvement.
- Self-efficacy perceptions accurately predicted successful treatment outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The multidimensional treatment is effective for mild to moderate stuttering.
- Severity of stuttering is a critical factor in treatment success.
- Self-efficacy is a valuable predictor of treatment performance in stuttering therapy.