Effectiveness of the Westmead therapeutic method on preschool children with stuttering

It has been well established that early intervention programs for preschool children are both effective for decreasing the potential problems in adulthood and also for preventing from chronic stuttering. Syllable-time speech therapeutic method is considered as an effective method in these children. The present study investigated the effectiveness of the Westmead therapeutic method on preschool children with stuttering.

Six children who had stuttering with an age range of 3 to 6 years old, participated in this study. The measurement indicator of stuttering severity was percentage syllables stuttered (%SS).  Initially, during stage 1, a parents and their children were trained to implement treatment approach. The treatment was carried out by mothers at home for around 4 to 6 times during a day. Treatment was implemented using a syllable by syllable method on a habitual speech rate, which lasted at least 10 weeks.

Outcome were analyzed using the visual analysis method.  Thirty-three of participants were able to reach second phase in the first level of treatment. Five children achieved an average percent of syllables stuttering below 50%, after approximately 10 therapeutic sessions. Remarkably, samples provided by mothers at home, proved these clinical reduction results.

As this study indicated, even first phase of syllabic speech therapeutic approach can be considered as an effective method to reduce stuttering events in preschool children.