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From: Ann Packman
Date: 20 Oct 2004
Time: 20:12:02 -0500
Remote Name: 129.78.64.100
I would like to add to this discussion by suggesting that measuring treatment efficacy in young children warrants special consideration. In our experience, when parents come to the clinic with a preschooler who is stuttering, typically their only request is for their child to stop stuttering. Evidence suggests that the preschool years present a window of opportunity for achieving this, before stuttering becomes “entrenched” as a behavioural feature of speech production. I suggest, then, that some measure of stuttering should be the primary outcome measure for treatment for preschoolers. Of course, this is particularly relevant when making claims about treatment efficacy with this age group, given that many children recover naturally. I hasten to add that we must continue to ensure through research that treatment reductions in young children do not come at a price; that is, that treatments do not have undesirable “side effects”.