Provision of Maintenance Therapy for People Who Stutter Via Telepractice

Abstract

Purpose: People who stutter (PWS) who have completed intensive programs commonly face issues with relapse. A confounding factor to relapse is the availability of speech-language pathologists who specialize in the treatment of stuttering. A possible solution to these issues is a telepractice approach to treatment maintenance following an intensive program. Therefore, the current project examined whether a tele-delivered maintenance program could be utilized to maintain and improve upon speech related outcomes obtained in an intensive treatment program. Methods: Participants included 6 children who stutter and 4 adults who stutter. Each participant completed a university intensive treatment program and also agreed to take part in 12 tele-delivered maintenance sessions following the intensive program. The Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering (OASES) was utilized for outcome measures. Results: Significant improvement was found on the OASES' overall impact score when comparing pre- and post-telepractice maintenance, (Z=-2.81, p=0.005). Additionally, participants experienced significant improvement in participants' perceptions of their speaking abilities (Z=-2.45, p=0.014) and in overall quality of life (Z=-2.07, p=0.038). Conclusions: While PWS are faced with challenges when seeking to improve upon communication skills, the current study offers additional evidence that telepractice is a viable delivery option for the maintenance of therapeutic gains.