The Prof is In

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Re: recovery

From: Lynne Shields
Date: 08 Oct 2011
Time: 09:56:09 -0500
Remote Name: 76.215.118.209

Comments

Katie, I don't know of any set of guidelines for discontinuing therapy for young children in the case where they continue to show some stuttering-like disfluencies. My preference is to talk to the parents, and the child if they are aware of their stuttering, to see how they feel about the level of fluency achieved. If they are comfortable with the child having some easy disfluencies, then I see no reason to continue therapy. I typically do as you suggest, seeing the child and parents on a reduced schedule, and then eventually keeping in touch by phone or email for a period of up to a year to be sure that tension and struggle behaviors are not returning. I am careful to let the family know that they can always return for additional treatment if the stuttering worsens, or if the child indicates an interest in reducing the easy stuttering. So, I see this as a decision for the family and not me. It is the child's speech and the parents' child, so they are the 'authorities' in knowing when it's time to manage on their own. When the parents are not in agreement, all I do is engage with them in discussing the options and their fears or concerns and let them make the decision. Hope this is helpful. Regards, Lynne


Last changed: 10/22/11