The Most Important Therapy Outcomes for School-Aged Children Who Stutter: An Exploratory Study

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Child psychology
• Communication disorders

Background:

• Stuttering significantly impacts a child's social and academic life.
• Previous research often focused on clinician-defined therapy goals.
• Understanding the child's perspective on successful therapy is crucial for effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the most important therapy outcomes from the perspective of school-aged children who stutter.
• To gather children's views on what constitutes successful speech and language therapy.

Main Methods:

• A Delphi approach was used with two survey rounds.
• Eighteen children (aged 9-13) initially generated 90 statements on therapy outcomes.
• Fifteen children (aged 8-14) then rated the importance of 79 statements to reach consensus.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one key outcome statements were identified.
• Outcomes focused on affective and behavioral changes in the child and their environment.
• Key results included increased fluency, independence, confidence, and improved communication situations.

Conclusions:

• Children who stutter desire a holistic approach to therapy.
• Successful therapy should encompass improved communication and participation in daily life.
• Involving significant others in therapy is essential for achieving desired outcomes.