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Parent-child interaction therapy and dysfluency: a single-case study
S Matthews1, R Williams, T Pring
1Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children, London, UK.
Insights
Modifying parent-child interactions significantly reduced stuttering in a preschool boy. This approach improved fluency during therapy and maintained results afterward, offering a new treatment avenue.
Area of Science:
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Child Psychology
- Behavioral Therapy
Background:
- Stuttering (dysfluency) in preschool children can be persistent.
- Parental interaction styles are hypothesized to influence speech fluency.
- A single-case study design allows for intensive investigation of behavioral interventions.
Observation:
- A 4-year-old boy with moderate to severe stuttering participated in a 17-week study.
- Baseline fluency measures were established over 6 weeks without intervention.
- Therapy involved modifying parent-child interaction styles over 6 weeks, followed by 5 weeks of consolidation.
Findings:
- No significant change in dysfluency was observed during the baseline period.
- A significant reduction in stuttering occurred during the therapy phase.
- The improved fluency was maintained during the consolidation period.
Implications:
- Parent-child interaction modification is a viable therapeutic strategy for childhood stuttering.
- Early intervention focusing on environmental factors can yield positive speech outcomes.
- This study supports the efficacy of behavioral approaches in pediatric speech disorders.
Abstract:
The hypothesis that the modification of parent-child interaction would reduce the dysfluency of a pre-school child was tested in an experimental single-case study. The subject, a four-year-old boy with a moderate to severe stutter, and his parents attended their local clinic for a total of 17 weeks. On each visit, 20-minute play periods with each parent were recorded and measures of fluency taken. No advice was offered in the first six weeks and these measures were used as a baseline for subsequent therapy. Therapy was given over the next six weeks. The parents were advised to make changes in their style of interaction and were asked to practise these at home each day. During the final five weeks, which served as consolidation, the parents continued to practise their skills at home but no new advice was offered. The analysis found no significant trend in the child's dysfluency during the baseline period, a significant improvement during therapy and stabilisation of the lower rate of dysfluencies during the maintenance period.