Intervention approaches used by clinicians in Malta with children who stutter

Abstract

Intervention for stuttering is an important aspect in the field of speech and language pathology. The aim of this research study was to enrich knowledge and provide awareness on the diverse types of intervention approaches/programmes that Maltese speech-language pathologists (SLPs) implement with children who stutter. This was carried out through both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Questionnaires were distributed to all clinicians that fall within primary health care and members of the Association of Speech-Language Pathologists (ASLPs). Moreover, four participants were randomly selected to take part in focus groups to explain their effective approach/intervention used for each age group. Qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed that the majority of SLPs use indirect approaches for pre-school children who stutter. On the other hand, quantitative results revealed that the Fluency Smart Intervention Strategy (SIS) is mostly used to aid school-aged children. Qualitative results also revealed that a direct approach is mostly used with this age group, however, the Fluency Smart Intervention Strategy (SIS) was not mentioned during the focus groups. This research study has also found that the most common approach Maltese SLPs implement with children who stutter and who present a co-occurring disorder combined, is of treating both disorders at the same time. Additionally, this study revealed that the same intervention approach is implemented irrespective of the sector that the SLP works in. This research study has shed light on diverse intervention approaches that exist for children who stutter whilst enriching knowledge on the diversity of this topic.