Consensus Guidelines for the Assessments of Individuals Who Stutter Across the Lifespan.

Purpose This project sought to develop consensus guidelines for clinically meaningful, comprehensive assessment procedures for people who stutter across the lifespan. Method Twelve expert clinicians and researchers who have written extensively about stuttering provided detailed descriptions of the type of data that they routinely collect during diagnostic evaluations of preschool children, school-age children, adolescents, and adults who stutter. Iterative content analysis, with repeated input from the respondents, was used to identify core areas that reflect common domains that these experts judge to be important for evaluating stuttering for varying age groups. Results Six core areas were identified as common components of a comprehensive evaluation of stuttering and people who stutter. These areas should be included to varying degrees depending upon the age and needs of the client or family. The core areas include the following: (a) stuttering-related background information; (b) speech, language, and temperament development (especially for younger clients); (c) speech fluency and stuttering behaviors; (d) reactions to stuttering by the speaker; (e) reactions to stuttering by people in the speaker's environment; and (f) adverse impact caused by stuttering. Discussion These consensus recommendations can help speech-language pathologists who are uncertain about appropriate stuttering assessment procedures to design and conduct more thorough evaluations, so that they will be better prepared to provide individualized and comprehensive treatment for people who stutter across the lifespan.

The Influence of Treatment on Children's Recovery From Stuttering: Comments on Kefalianos et al. (2017) and Leech et al. (2017).

Purpose Two studies published recently in this journal sought to expand on previous attempts to explain and predict young children's recovery from stuttering. This letter addresses the influence of treatment on such research. Conclusions Recent publications from Kefalianos et al. (2017) and Leech, Bernstein Ratner, Brown, and Weber (2017) added to previous information that gender and language ability (or language growth) may be related to children's recovery from stuttering. The conclusions from both studies are difficult to interpret, however, because neither incorporated two factors known to influence children's recovery: a family history of recovery and, especially, the type and timing of treatment. Consideration of these two articles therefore raises multiple empirical, theoretical, and clinical issues that deserve to be fully addressed if our discipline is seeking to understand and to maximize recovery for young children who stutter.

Evidence, Goals, and Outcomes in Stuttering Treatment: Applications With an Adolescent Who Stutters.

Purpose: The purpose of this clinical focus article is to summarize 1 possible process that a clinician might follow in designing and conducting a treatment program with John, a 14-year-old male individual who stutters. Method: The available research evidence, practitioner experience, and consideration of individual preferences are combined to address goals, treatment procedures, and outcomes for John. Conclusions: The stuttering treatment research literature includes multiple well-designed reviews and individual studies that have shown the effectiveness of prolonged speech (and smooth speech and related variations) for improving stuttered speech and for improving social, emotional, cognitive, and related variables in adolescents who stutter. Based on that evidence, and incorporating the additional elements of practitioner experience and client preferences, this clinical focus article suggests that John would be likely to benefit from a treatment program based on prolonged speech. The basic structure of 1 possible such program is also described, with an emphasis on the goals and outcomes that John could be expected to achieve.