Assessment and treatment of acquired stuttering: A single subject study

Acquired stuttering typically has an onset in adulthood and can be neurogenic or functional (DSM-5)/dissociative (ICD-11) in nature. Differential diagnosis may not always be straightforward. Unfortunately, there is a lack of systematic prospective research providing detailed assessment and treatment information in this area. This single subject case study provides a detailed overview of the assessment and diagnostic process followed with a client referred with acquired stuttering, treatment techniques used and their outcomes.

This single case study involved a client with a 9-month history of acquired stuttering who participated in 2 baseline assessment sessions followed by 8 treatment sessions over two weeks. Treatment was tailored to the needs of the participant and based on assessment findings indicating fluency improvements during singing. Five follow up sessions were held in the 6 months post-treatment to monitor progress and maintenance. Speech disfluencies were coded, and questionnaires were used to assess impact of stuttering.

Baseline assessment results supported a diagnosis of acquired functional stuttering. Following treatment, the frequency of syllables stuttered reduced in all speech tasks: conversation, picture description and reading. The participant regained previous natural fluency, showed overall quality of life improvements and was able to resume work shortly after treatment.

This acquired functional stuttering report showed that while initial differential diagnosis may be difficult, comprehensive assessment facilitates this process and may guide treatment decisions. Treatment led to a regain of previous fluency and a significant improvement in quality of life.