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Introduction: Attitudes of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) toward stuttering play an important role in managing stuttering cases. Yet, such studies had not been studied in Malaysia, a country that is still developing the profession of speech-language pathology. This study aimed to explore the attitudes of Malaysian SLPs and speech-language pathology students toward stuttering. Methods: A total of 50 SLPs and 67 speech-language pathology students completed the Clinician Attitudes Toward Stuttering (CATS) inventory. There were eight domains of attitudes toward stuttering: (a) etiology, (b) early intervention, (c) therapeutic efficacy, (d) personalities of people who stutter (PWS), (e) clinician expertise and roles, (f) teacher/counsellor roles and client/public reactions, (g) therapy strategies, and (h) parent attitudes. Descriptive data were presented, and multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to examine the effects of clinical certification on the eight domains of attitudes toward stuttering. Results: Participants who possessed a clinical certification were more accepting toward the personalities of PWS and therapy strategies. On the other hand, participants without a clinical certification were more accepting toward clinician expertise and roles. Conclusions: Current curriculum and professional training should be reevaluated to remediate less accepting stereotypes held by SLPs and students toward PWS and to enhance essential skills such as counseling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigated the complexity of stuttering behavior. It described and classified the complexity of stuttering behavior in relation to age, behavioral treatment outcomes, stuttering severity, anxiety-related mental health, impact of stuttering, and gender. Method: For this study, a taxonomy was developed--LBDL-C7--which was based on the Lidcombe Behavioral Data Language of stuttering. It was used by five experienced judges to analyze the complexity of stuttering behavior for 84 adults and adolescents before and after speech restructuring treatment. Data were 3,100 stuttering moments, which were analyzed with nominal logistic regression. Results: The complexity of stuttering behavior appears not to change as a result of treatment, but it does appear to change with advancing age. Complexity of stuttering behavior was found to be independently associated with clinician stuttering severity scores but not with percentage of syllables stuttered or self-reported stuttering severity. Complexity of stuttering behavior was not associated with gender, anxiety, or impact of stuttering. Conclusion: Clinical and research applications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Information is available about what predicts Lidcombe Program treatment time, but nothing is known about what predicts treatment prognosis. Aims: To investigate the predictors of treatment dropout and treatment outcome for children who were treated for early stuttering with the Lidcombe Program (N = 277). Methods & Procedures: A total of 32 variables were used as predictors in regression analyses of short‐ and medium‐term Lidcombe Program outcome, and of treatment dropout. Outcomes & Results: Regression analyses associated children who have better language skills and easy temperament with better treatment outcome, although only a small portion of the variance of treatment outcome was accounted for by these variables. There was an association between treatment dropout and parental scores on a personality screening tool relating to their impulsivity. Conclusions & Implications: Variables identified as predictors of Lidcombe Program treatment outcome were statistically significant, but not clinically significant. They did not account for a clinically substantive portion of treatment outcomes. Findings about parental impulsivity and their relationship with intervention drop‐out require replication with prospective methods and comprehensive assessment of parent psychological status. This is particularly important because parents are involved in conducting all early interventions. What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subjectInformation is available about what predicts Lidcombe Program treatment time, but nothing is known about what predicts Lidcombe Program treatment outcome.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeThere are predictors of Lidcombe Program treatment outcome that are statistically significant, but none are clinically significant.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?Clinicians can tell parents that nothing has been found that can assist with making prognostic indications about treatment outcome for their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is a paucity of evidence to guide treatment for children with co-occurring stuttering and speech sound disorder. Some guidelines suggest treating the two disorders simultaneously using indirect treatment approaches; however, the research supporting these recommendations is over 20 years old. In this clinical case series, we investigate whether these co-occurring disorders could be treated concurrently using direct treatment approaches supported by up-to-date, high-level evidence, and whether this could be done in an efficacious, safe and efficient manner. Method: Five pre-school-aged participants received individual concurrent, direct intervention for both stuttering and speech sound disorder. All participants used the Lidcombe Program, as manualised. Direct treatment for speech sound disorder was individualised based on analysis of each child’s sound system. Result: At 12 months post commencement of treatment, all except one participant had completed the Lidcombe Program, and were less than 1.0% syllables stuttered on samples gathered within and beyond the clinic. These four participants completed Stage 1 of the Lidcombe Program in between 14 and 22 clinic visits, consistent with current benchmark data for this programme. At the same assessment point, all five participants exhibited significant increases in percentage of consonants correct and were in alignment with age-expected estimates of this measure. Further, they were treated in an average number of clinic visits that compares favourably with other research on treatment for speech sound disorder. Conclusion: These preliminary results indicate that young children with co-occurring stuttering and speech sound disorder may be treated concurrently using direct treatment approaches. This method of service delivery may have implications for cost and time efficiency and may also address the crucial need for early intervention in both disorders. These positive findings highlight the need for further research in the area and contribute to the limited evidence base. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: The Lidcombe Program is a behavioural treatment for stuttering in children younger than 6 years that is supported by evidence of efficacy and effectiveness. The treatment incorporates parent verbal contingencies for stutter-free speech and for stuttering. However, the contribution of those contingencies to reductions in stuttering in the program is unclear. Method: Thirty-four parent–child dyads were randomized to two treatment groups. The control group received standard Lidcombe Program and the experimental group received Lidcombe Program without instruction to parents to use the verbal contingency request for self-correction. Treatment responsiveness was measured as time to 50% stuttering severity reduction. Result: No differences were found between groups on primary outcome measures of the number of weeks and clinic visits to 50% reduction in stuttering severity. Conclusion: This clinical experiment challenges the assumption that the verbal contingency request for self-correction contributes to treatment efficacy. Results suggest the need for further research to explore this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech sound disorders reportedly co-occur in young children who stutter at a substantial rate. Despite this, there is a paucity of scientific research available to support a treatment approach when these disorders co-exist. Similarly, little is known about how clinicians are currently working with this caseload given that best practice for the treatment of both disorders in isolation has evolved in recent years. This study used a qualitative approach to explore current clinical management and rationales when working with children who have co-occurring stuttering and speech sound disorder. Thirteen participant SLPs engaged in semi-structured telephone interviews. Interview data were analysed based on principles derived from grounded theory. Several themes were identified including multi-faceted assessment, workplace challenges, weighing-up the evidence, and direct intervention. The core theme, clinical reasoning, highlighted the participants' main concern, that not enough is known about this caseload on which to base decisions about intervention. There was consensus that little is available in the research literature to guide decisions relating to service delivery. These findings highlight the need for further research to provide evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice with this caseload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, ‘obesity epidemic’ discourses have begun to focus on the ‘problem’ of ‘childhood obesity.’ Notwithstanding the fact that it is not clear that childhood obesity is a serious health problem, individual fat children are increasingly being targeted by anti-obesity interventions, despite the significant emotional and physical risks inherent in such measures. In order to understand why this is occurring, I operationalise Dorothy E Smith’s (1999) theory of ruling relations in order to draw out the ideological basis and implications of mediated textual representations. Drawing from Law and Mol’s (2002) work on case study methodologies and Titchkosky’s (2007: 23) assertion that the texts we encounter in everyday life ‘are our world,’ I analyse three appearances of the ‘childhood obesity epidemic’ discourse within articles from online news sources. I find that the world constructed within these articles is one in which fat children’s bodies are understood as economic problems, and the children themselves are regarded as individual failed subjects within the currently dominant ideology of neoliberal capitalism. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: This clinical trial determined the outcomes of a simple syllable-timed speech (STS) treatment for school-age children who stutter. Method: Participants were 10 children, ages 6-11 years, who stutter. Treatment involved training the children and their parents to use STS at near normal speech rates. The technique was practiced in the clinic and at home with the parents during everyday conversations. Results: Nine months after commencing treatment, stuttering had decreased by >50% for half of the children, with 2 children attaining 81% and 87% reduction. Intention-to-treat analysis showed a clinically and statistically significant reduction in stuttering for the group even when a withdrawn participant was included. These results were mostly confirmed by self-reported stuttering severity ratings and were supported by improved situation avoidance and quality-of-life scores. There was considerable individual variation in response to the treatment. Conclusion: STS shows promise as a treatment for some school-age children who stutter. As a fluency technique, it is simple to learn and simple to teach, and the children in this study appeared to enjoy the treatment. The efficacy of the treatment could likely be improved with modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Stuttering has been associated with a range of anxiety disorders, including social phobia. In the general community, anxiety disorders are frequently associated with increased rates of mood and substance use disorders. Therefore, in the present study, the authors sought to determine the rate of mood and substance use disorders among adults who stutter. Method: The study employed a matched case-control design. Participants included 92 adults seeking treatment for stuttering and 920 age- and gender-matched controls. Mental health assessments were conducted via a computerized psychiatric diagnostic interview. Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios for the prevalence of mood and substance use disorders in both groups. Results: When compared with matched controls, adults seeking treatment for stuttering had twofold increased odds of meeting criteria for a 12-month diagnosis of any mood disorder but were not found to report significantly higher lifetime prevalence rates for any substance use disorder. Conclusions: Although adults who stutter in the present study were characterized by significantly higher rates of mood disorders than matched controls, they do not appear to self-medicate with substances such as alcohol. Results are discussed in terms of treatment implications and possible reasons why adults who stutter may avoid alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AWS reported higher scores on the fear-performance and fear-social scales of the LSAS-J. • No age difference was noted for the LSAS-J scores of AWS and controls. • Females scored higher on fear-performance and fear-social subscales. • LSAS-J showed good test-retest reliability and high Cronbach's alpha. Adults who stutter (AWS) often develop social anxiety disorder. This study was to provide comparative data on the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale-Japanese version (LSAS-J) from AWS and non-stuttering adult controls. LSAS-J, a 24-item self-reported survey of social phobia and avoidance across various daily situations, was administered to 130 AWS (Mean Age = 41.5 years, SD = 15.8, 111 males) and 114 non-stuttering adults (Mean Age = 39.5, SD = 14.9, 53 males). The test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the LSAS-J were assessed. A between-subject multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was also conducted to determine whether attitude toward social anxiety differed between AWS and AWNS, or by age (<40 and ≥ 40 years old), or sex (female and male). AWS reported higher scores on both fear subscales of the LSAS-J. Age had no significant influence on the social anxiety levels reported by either participant group. Sex differences were found in the fear subscales, with females scoring higher on both fear subscales, although these were only marginally significant (p =.06). LSAS-J showed good test-retest reliability and high Cronbach's alpha coefficient, indicating that it is an internally consistent measure of attitudes about social anxiety. Given the similarly high incidence of social anxiety in adults in Japan who stutter compared with those in other countries, social anxiety should be identified and assessed during clinical decision making and before decisions are made about stuttering treatment. LSAS-J is an easy tool to administer, and showed reliable results of social phobia and avoidance for AWS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]