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From: Mark Onslow
Date: 21 Oct 2007
Time: 22:46:04 -0500
Remote Name: 129.78.220.7
Hi Katie, Well you ask a difficult question indeed. It is currently not known at what age a child would no longer be a good candidate for the Lidcombe Program. We are actually investigating this at the moment, but all we have to go on at present are the two clinical reports cited at the end of this. The only answer I would give is that some time after the preschool years and before the early adolescent years, and probably it would be different for different children. How would I “approach therapy with a child stutterer that is right on the border of this age range.” I would try the simplest treatment first, which would be the Lidcombe Program. I didn’t understand the next bit of your question, so perhaps you could rephrase so that I can give a clear answer; the Lidcombe Program involves verbal contingencies for stuttered and stutter-free speech, not just stutter-free speech. Finally, should an older child develop non-behavioural problems, the Lidcombe Program would not address those; it is a purely behavioural program. Some other approach would be needed. Hear from you soon. Regards, Mark. Lincoln, M., Onslow, M., Lewis, C., & Wilson, L. (1996). A clinical trial of an operant treatment for school-age children who stutter. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 5, 73-85. Koushik, S., Shenker, R. Onslow, M., and Adaman, B. (2007) Follow-up of school-age children after Lidcombe Program treatment. Manuscript in preparation.