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From: Mark Onslow
Date: 21 Oct 2007
Time: 23:58:57 -0500
Remote Name: 129.78.64.106
Hi Courtney, You raise a number of interesting issues. Here is my response to them. (1) I am on record as stating that the preliminary evidence in the Yaruss et al. and Franken et al. reports is encouraging, and that I hope that those treatments will proceed to the clinical trials stage. So we have no disagreement there. We certainly should not fail to recognize the existence of those treatment developments, and I certainly do not. In fact, my colleagues and myself are currently in the process of developing a new treatment for preschoolers. (2) Yes, the goal is to find what is best for the child and family; I agree with you completely there. (3) No, I have no data to show that the Yaruss et al. and Franken et al. treatments do not work; the onus is on the developers of those treatments to present data about their efficacy or lack of it. (4) I agree with you at least in the case of adults that stutter-free speech is not a good goal in many, if not all cases. However I think I have a different view to you about that issue with preschoolers. I would venture that since the treatment literature suggests that it is possible, and nature suggests that it is possible (with natural recovery), it should be regarded as the ultimate goal. What clinicians might therefore strive for is zero stuttering in preschoolers, maintained in the long term, so that the debilitating effects of chronic stuttering later in life can be obviated. (5) Our website contains details of the Lidcombe Program Trainers Consortium, which provides training in the method in eight countries. Let me know your responses to this, Regards, Mark.