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ACQ
Volume 12, Number 3 2010
ACQ
uiring knowledge in speech, language and hearing
Stuttering therapy
Malathi
Ferdinando (top)
and Luana Stone
Keywords
INTENSIVE
PROGRAM
LIDCOMBE
PROGRAM
SCHOOL-AGE
STUTTERING
and how to implement and better understand the activities
in the program (Tetreault, Parrot, & Trahan, 2003). These
features were incorporated into the CEOM agent training
process, where therapy sessions might include individual
therapy sessions or group training courses along with home
and school based programs. All forms of service delivery
however, had the underlying philosophy of agent training.
Speech pathology service delivery at the
Catholic Education Office Melbourne (CEOM)
incorporates an agent training philosophy,
involving the explicit training of parents (or an
alternative agent) to complete follow-up
practice tasks. Agent training occurs in a
number of different ways across all areas of
speech therapy. In the area of stuttering, the
Lidcombe and Intensive Fluency Programs
were considered to be agent training
programs. This article examines service
delivery at the CEOM for students who stutter
and provides a discussion of the challenges
faced with implementing time-intensive
stuttering therapy in a busy school-aged model.
Philosophy of service delivery
at CEOM
The speech pathology service at the Catholic Education
Office Melbourne (CEOM) was developed in 1995 with an
agent training philosophy. Its aim was to provide an
evidenced based best-practice speech pathology service
resulting in positive student outcomes and a time- and
cost-efficient service. The philosophy was to involve parents
(or an appropriate agent) to work with children to complete
the practice required between treatment sessions as
described in Roberts, Ferdinando, and McCusker (2000).
Speech language pathology intervention provided with family
involvement has been found to be as effective, if not more
effective than intervention provided with no family input. For
example, Eiserman, Weber, and McCoun (1992) investigated
the outcomes of children with speech disorders using a
home parent training program and a clinic-based, low parent
involvement program. In all areas of speech and language
functioning, the home parent group performed at least as
well as the clinic-based group one year post intervention. In
another study, Dodd and Barker (1990) indicated that in the
area of communication skills, significant improvement was
evident when students were trained in their own
communication environments compared to training in a
clinical setting.
As part of implementing this service delivery, it was
important that support be provided to parents regarding
how to create a good learning environment for the child
Clinical insights
Implementing effective stuttering therapy
within a school setting
Malathi Ferdinando and Luana Stone
Language
consultation
with the
school
Fluency
intervention
via intensive
program with
student and
agent
Programs via
agent training
course with
an agent
Programs via
individual
sessions with
student and
agent
(includes
Lidcombe
Program)
Agent
training
Programs via
individual
consultation
with an agent
Voice
intervention
via individual
sessions with
student and
agent and
class
Figure 1. Agent training service delivery model
In the area of fluency, the Intensive Fluency Program and
the Lidcombe Program are both considered to be agent
training programs. Parents are trained to do home practice
(or activities) with their child and progress is reviewed by the
speech pathologist at regular intervals.
The first fluency support program which the CEOM
implemented was the Intensive Fluency Program. The
implementation of this program and the outcomes achieved
are described below. In more recent years the Lidcombe
Program has been incorporated into CEOM’s service
delivery. The process through which this was implemented
and the outcomes achieved are described in the subsequent
sections of the article.