Stuttering therapy in partnership with support groups: the best of both worlds.

The current challenges facing school-based speech-language pathologist (SLPs) make it increasingly difficult to provide "best practice" services for children who stutter. Traditional modes of therapy alone do not meet many of the needs of children who stutter and their families. Using an interdisciplinary "team" approach to therapy that incorporates support organizations may increase the probability of positive outcomes for children who stutter. By facilitating the introduction of a support organization experience into the direct therapy process, the school-based SLP is uniquely positioned to use this resource to complement an overall treatment strategy. Although there is no substitute for a competent, professional SLP as the primary care provider in the treatment of stuttering, this article outlines some of the many benefits that can be gained by partnering with support organizations when treating children who stutter.

Speech treatment and support group experiences of people who participate in the National Stuttering Association.

UNLABELLED: Support groups are rapidly becoming an important part of the recovery process for many people who stutter, and a growing number of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are encouraging their clients to participate in support groups. At present, however, little is known about the individuals who join stuttering support groups and the benefits they derive from their participation. This study surveyed members of the National Stuttering Association (NSA) to learn about their experiences in support groups, as well as their experiences in speech therapy. Respondents were 71 people who attended the 1999 NSA conference in Tacoma, WA. The majority of respondents had participated in treatment several times during their lives, using a variety of techniques. Respondents who had participated in fluency-shaping treatments were more likely to report that they had experienced a relapse than those who had participated in stuttering modification or combined treatments. Also, there was a strong positive correlation between respondents' satisfaction with treatment and their judgments of clinicians' competence, suggesting that improved training for SLPs should lead to improved treatment for people who stutter. Results will be used to provide a foundation for further evaluations of the benefits of support group participation for people who stutter. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: The reader will learn (a) that many people who participate in the NSA have had numerous and varied experiences with speech treatment throughout their lives, (b) which aspects of treatment and support group participation are seen as most beneficial for people who participate in the NSA.