Development of an internet version of the Lidcombe Program of early stuttering intervention: A trial of Part 1

Purpose: There is evidence that access to treatment for early stuttering is not available for all who need it. An internet version of the Lidcombe Program for early stuttering (Internet-LP) has been developed to deal with this shortfall. The LP is suitable for such development because it is delivered by parents in the child’s everyday environment, with training by a speech-language pathologist. A Phase I trial of Internet-LP Part 1, comprising parent training, is reported here. Method: Eight parents of pre-schoolers who stutter were recruited and six completed the trial. Result: Post-trial assessment indicated that the parents scored well for identifying and measuring stuttering and for knowledge about conducting practice sessions, including how to present verbal contingencies during practice sessions. Conclusion: The results prompted minor adjustments to Part 1 and guided the construction of Part 2, which instructs parents during the remainder of the treatment process.研究目的：现有研究证据表明，并非所有存在早期口吃治疗需求的人群都能获得相应的治疗服务。为此，研究人员开发了面向早期口吃的互联网版莱德科姆疗法（Lidcombe Program，Internet-LP），以弥补这一服务缺口。该疗法适合开展此类数字化改造，因其治疗流程由家长在儿童的日常环境中执行，仅需言语语言病理学家（speech-language pathologist）提供专业培训。本文报告了互联网版莱德科姆疗法第一部分（涵盖家长培训环节）的一期临床试验。 研究方法：本研究共招募8名口吃学龄前儿童的家长，其中6名完成了全部试验流程。 研究结果：试验后评估结果显示，受试家长在识别与量化口吃症状、掌握练习课程开展相关知识（包括如何在练习过程中实施言语性偶联干预）方面均表现优异。 研究结论：本次试验结果推动了疗法第一部分的小幅优化，并为疗法第二部分的研发提供了指导，该部分将在整个治疗流程的剩余阶段为家长提供专业指导。