Longitudinal analysis of stuttering like disfluencies as a treatment outcome in early childhood stuttering

Objectives: This study longitudinally investigated the treatment outcome of children (age 2 to 5) who stutter (CWS) within 1 year of the onset of stuttering in order to examine whether frequency and types of stuttering like disfluencies (SLD) play a role as a predictor of treatment outcome. Methods: Direct therapy was given to 18 CWS for 18 months and indirect therapy for their parents to change parents' attitudes. Speech samples were collected five times (initial visit and four times every 3 months for 18 months) in order to identify changes in SLD frequency over treatment. Results: The results of the study are summarized as follows. First, the total frequency of SLD was significantly different between the recovered group and the persistence group. That is, SLD decreased in the recovered group while increasing in the persistence group. At 12 and 18 months after treatment, the difference between the two groups was greater than at the other assessment sessions. Second, significant interactions between the group and time of therapy were found in the disrhythmic phonation type. Third, the ratio of SLD in disrhythmic phonation type decreased in the recovery group after 6 months. Conclusion: The results suggest that SLD frequency and disrhythmic phonation type are predictive factors for discriminating between recovered and persistence groups in the treatment for young children who stutter. We also suggest that speech-language pathologists be aware of SLD frequency and disrhythmic phonation's changes at 12 and 18 months after treatment to predict treatment effects in early childhood stuttering.