Further predictors of Lidcombe Program treatment time

Abstract

This research determined variables potentially involved in influencing Lidcombe Program treatment time. The method used retrospective case studies of 10 pre-school children with rapid treatment responses and 10 with slow treatment responses. Results were consistent with existing findings that associated pretreatment stuttering severity with longer treatment time. A new suggestion emerged about children whose siblings had been successfully treated; those cases were more likely to be associated with shorter treatment times. Slow treatment was associated with file reports of parents having difficulty learning Lidcombe Program procedures and with parents not complying with recommended practice sessions. Some variables were identified more frequently for either the rapid or slow response groups of children. Considering the clinical importance of these preliminary findings, they compel a replication with prospective methods that involve strong statistical power.