This text-based course is a transcript of the webinar, Vanderbilt SLP Journal Club: Differentiating Stuttering Persistence and Recovery, presented by Ellen M. Kelly, PhD, CCC-SLP.
Learning Objectives
After this course, the reader will be able to:
- describe current research findings comparing children who recover to those who persist in stuttering.
- identify key components of speech, language, emotion, motor, and other domains to incorporate into a holistic assessment of developmental stuttering in 2-6 year-olds.
- explain how to utilize assessment findings to individualize treatment for 2-6 year-old children who stutter.
Introduction
This is a very exciting time to talk about this topic, especially in the last few years. More and more researchers are obtaining information about what is happening in young children who stutter over time. It is helping us to differentiate children who might persist in stuttering from those who might recover. We still have a long way to go, but I will present some of the new information that is available and share how to apply that in the evaluation and treatment of young children who stutter.
In terms of disclosures, I obtain a salary and am an employee of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. My work is supported by a gift from the Malcolm Fraser Foundation, and SpeechPathology.com has made a donation to Vanderbilt's student education program, in appreciation for this webinar. I have no non-financial relationships to disclose.
International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health –
Children and Youth
I like to use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health model (http://www.erisee.org/node/79) to frame the findings that I obtained diagnostically from children and also to prepare for treatment. Also, this model is very helpful in thinking about children who stutter. You may be familiar with the ICF from Scott Yaruss and his colleagues' work in developing the instrument, the OASES. Well the ICF-CY version, or Children in Youth, is specifically designed to include developmental processes and milestones in addition to environmental context. The purpose is to examine health conditions like stuttering in context and look at their impact on everyday functioning. As we look at young children who stutter, we especially consider the context of the family, in daycare, in kindergarten, et cetera. So briefly, the health condition we are looking at is stuttering.
When we look at body functions and structures we are talking about things we do diagnostically like an oral mechanism exam to determine if there are problems with any of the structures. In terms of function, the testing that we do for speech, language, articulation, oral motor skills and other things fit into there as well.
