The Lidcombe Program
How the Lidcombe Program Can Help Treat Stuttering During the Pre-School Years.
One of the techniques that can help children who stutter is the Lidcombe Program.
The Lidcombe program was developed to treat stuttering in children below the age of 6. It is based on a body of laboratory-operant condition research and is done in two stages. In the first stage the objective is to stop the child from stuttering. The second is to reinforce the first so this can be maintained for a longer period.
This program was developed in Australia and is widely used in Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand. Some are already using the Lidcombe program in South Africa, United States and several non-English speaking nations.
What makes the Lidcombe program unique from the other therapies available is the fact that it is being conducted by parents and not the speech language pathologist. The SLP is still there but his or her job is to simply teach the parents how to do this treatment even in their absence.
The use of Lidcombe program is a very direct one. This would mean that feedbacks are immediately given to the child about their speech. There are no negative feedbacks given to the child. If a child did not make any mistakes, the parents will just say “that was smooth talking” or ” bumps free”. On the other hand, if the child stutters, the parents will acknowledge it and say “try it again without the word getting stuck” or “that’s a stuck word”. Feedback does not have to be given each time the child speaks. The parent can choose specific times in giving appropriate and significant feedback.
A log book or a diary should be used by the parents. This will help measure the child’s progress. One can use a scale of 0 to 10. If it’s a 0, that means the child did not stutter for that day. If the child scores a 10, then severe stuttering occurred that day.
Assessment will be made by the child, parent and speech language pathologist every week. The scores of the previous week will be monitored and analyzed.
The Lidcombe program consisted of two stages. When the child continues to maintain a low stutter score that is the only time that stage 2 of this program starts.
The treatment for the Lidcombe program differs and this depends on the child’s progress. On the average, most kids move to stage 2 after 11 visits to the clinic.
The key to the success of the Lidcombe program is the positive support of both parents and children. Since the treatment is done in a relaxed and comfortable environment which are the home and the person involved in the treatment is either the mother or father.
Parents who want to the Lidcombe program should keep in mind that this treatment must not interfere with the kid’s communication. It should be perceived as a normal routine or just a part of a child’s everyday life. There is no need to set a specific place and time.
Practice makes permanent. Learning this technique may take some time. It is permissible for the speech language pathologist to visit the home to check if parents are doing it properly.
The Lidcombe program’s success lies in the hands of the parents. Once the parents mastered the skills that are being taught to them, then that’s the time the child will be able to minimize the occurrence of stuttering. If one has a child who stutters beyond the age of six, a different program has to be used and considered because this program can only work best for children in their pre-school years.