Early Childhood Stuttering Therapy

Therapy for young children who stammer is now high priority, with growing research evidence supporting early intervention. This manual from the Michael Palin Centre for stammering Children (MPC) is a detailed, step-by-step guide intended to support general and specialist speech and language therapists in developing their confidence and skills in working with this age group. This manual is based on a strong theoretical framework which explains the factors contributing to the onset and development of stammering and describes recent research findings regarding the nature of stammering in this age group. It provides a comprehensive guide to the assessment process and helps to identify which children are likely to recover naturally and which are at risk of developing a persistent stammering problem. The therapy approach has been successfully tried and tested at the Michael Palin Centre, and the manual provides detailed descriptions of the therapy process.It also includes a supporting CD-Rom and photocopiable resources such as assessment and therapy forms and parents' handouts. The MPC approach is a combination of indirect therapy methods. The indirect therapy component is aimed at helping parents through the use of video feedback, to identify interaction strategies that support their child's fluency and enhance it in the home environment. In addition the approach addresses other concerns, for example, in relation to confidence building, dealing with sensitive children, and establishing clear structures and boundaries to enhance family relationships. For children at increased risk of persistence, this manual incorporates a direct therapy programme which involves teaching the child strategies for developing fluency. This manual disseminates the MPC's specialist therapy knowledge and research findings, and is an invaluable guide for all speech and language therapists and students working with stammering.

This book is a clinical resource for speech-language pathologists who work with school-age children who stutter. It provides comprehensive assessment and intervention strategies designed to enhance positive therapy outcomes.

Now available in a fully revised and updated second edition, this practical manual is a detailed guide to the Palin Parent–Child Interaction Therapy programme (Palin PCI) developed at the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering (MPC). Palin PCI builds on the principle that parents play a critical role in effective therapy and that understanding and managing stammering is a collaborative journey between the child, parent and therapist. This book emphasises a need for open communication about stammering, offering a combination of indirect techniques such as video feedback, interaction strategies and confidence building, along with direct techniques to teach a child what they can do to help themselves. This second edition: Reflects the most up-to-date research in areas such as neurology, genetics, temperament and the impact of stammering on children and their families Offers photocopiable resources, such as assessment tools, information sheets and therapy handouts, to support the implementation of Palin PCI Focuses on empowerment through building communication confidence in children who stammer and developing knowledge and confidence in their parents Based on a strong theoretical framework, this book offers a comprehensive understanding of the Palin PCI approach in order to support generalist and specialist speech and language therapists as they develop their knowledge, skills and confidence in working with young children who stammer and their families. For more information about Alison and her work, please visit www.alisonnicholasslt.co.uk. To learn more about Elaine and her work, please visit www.michaelpalincentreforstammering.org.

Malcolm Fraser knew from personal experience what the person who stutters is up against. His introduction to stuttering corrective procedures first came at the age of fifteen under the direction of Frederick Martin, M.D., who at that time was Superintendent of Speech Correction for the New York City schools. A few years later, he worked with J. Stanley Smith, L.L.D., a stutterer and philanthropist, who, for altruistic reasons, founded the Kingsley Clubs in Philadelphia and New York that were named after the English author, Charles Kingsley, who also stuttered. The Kingsley Clubs were small groups of adult stutterers who met one night a week to try out treatment ideas then in effect. In fact, they were actually practicing group therapy as they talked about their experiences and exchanged ideas. This exchange gave each of the members a better understanding of the problem. The founder often led the discussions at both clubs. In 1928 Malcolm Fraser joined his older brother Carlyle who founded the NAPA-Genuine Parts Company that year in Atlanta, Georgia. He became an important leader in the company and was particularly outstanding in training others for leadership roles. In 1947, with a successful career under way, he founded the Stuttering Foundation of America. In subsequent years, he added generously to the endowment so that at the present time, endowment income covers over fifty percent of the operating budget. In 1984, Malcolm Fraser received the fourth annual National Council on Communicative Disorders' Distinguished Service Award. The NCCD, a council of 32 national organizations, recognized the Foundation's efforts in "adding to stutterers', parents', clinicians', and the public's awareness and ability to deal constructively with stuttering." Book jacket.