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From: Charlie Osborne
Date: 10 Oct 2011
Time: 09:27:03 -0500
Remote Name: 143.236.34.52
Katie An excellent question! I agree with Lynne about following the child and his/her family (I typically follow for 5 years after therapy). To me, knowing when to end therapy with younger children has become less about frequency of stuttering and more about the child and family demonstrating a “sense of control” when it comes to talking. By this I mean that the child is aware of how s/he talks, does not experience any angst if s/he continues using easy repetitions, and knows s/he can choose to talk the way s/he wants to. I have had some children who prefer to not use many repetitions by therapy’s end and then there are those who are not that concerned. In either case, the child is typically demonstrating a strong self-concept when it comes to communication. Regarding parents, again, when they feel that their child is talking the way s/he prefers (and is able to talk with or without easy repetitions by choice), they are usually comfortable with easing out of therapy. I guess I keep Yaruss and Quesal’s (2004) interpretation of the WHO Model in mind. If the problem of stuttering has resolved and the way a child talks and feels about talking isn’t limiting his/her ability to interact in activities of daily living, there isn’t anything else to work on.