Reduced Stuttering for School-Age Children: A Systematic Review
Journal of Fluency Disorders
Johnson, G., Onslow, M., et al. (2023).
Journal of Fluency Disorders, 78, 106015.
<div>This systematic review investigates the immediate and long-term effects of stuttering interventions for school-aged children (i.e., 6 to 12 years old).</div>
Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship
From database inception to March 2023
<div>All study designs</div>
67
<p>Findings demonstrated that operant methods were associated with stuttering reduction immediately following treatment. Specific findings were as follows:</p>
<ul>
<li>The Lidcombe Program was associated with an 88.2% mean reduction in percent stuttered syllables (%SS) across six studies, with 64.9-92.4% reduction in %SS noted within two studies at 12-month follow-up.</li>
<li>Gradual Increased Length and Complexity of Stuttering (GILCU) was associated with stuttering reduction for all included participants in three of five studies. One study demonstrated a 90% to 100% reduction in %SS at 12-month follow-up and another showed a 58.8% reduction at 24-month follow-up.</li>
</ul>
<p>These findings should be interpreted with caution due to small sample sizes across a limited number of research studies.</p>
<div>Findings demonstrated that speech restructuring interventions (e.g., oral motor programs, proprioception treatments, the Camperdown Program) were associated with reduced %SS (range= 37.5% to 86.2%), as well as improvements in other outcomes (e.g., stuttered words, stuttering severity). These reductions were not maintained at follow-up. The overall effect of any one intervention within this category was limited by a lack of research, heterogeneity in outcome measures, and small sample sizes. Results should be interpreted with caution.</div>
<div>Mixed operant and speech-restructuring methods (e.g., syllabled time speech, simplified habit reversal with reinforcement) were associated with reductions in stuttering frequency or severity across ten studies (range= -38.6% to 85.1%) using a variety of outcome measures. These reductions were not maintained at follow-up. These findings should be interpreted with caution due to limited research regarding any one treatment within this category, heterogeneity in treatment techniques and outcome measures, and a small overall sample size.</div>
<div>Machine-driven treatments (e.g., delayed auditory feedback, frequency shifted feedback, video self modeling) were associated with variable reductions in stuttering frequency in five of seven studies, with two studies demonstrating an increase in stuttering frequency following treatment. These findings should be interpreted with caution due to limited research, heterogeneity in outcome measures, and a small overall sample size.</div>
<div>Interventions with a cognitive behavior therapy component (e.g., Lexipontix, Comprehensive Stuttering Program) generally involved promoting positive communication attitudes, desensitization to stuttering, and targeting emotional responses alongside other treatment methods. These were associated with a mean stuttering reduction in 18 out of 20 studies, with 79.9% to 87.7% reduction noted at 12-month follow-up in two studies. These findings should be interpreted with caution due to small sample sizes and heterogeneity between included studies.</div>
