Randomised controlled trial of the Lidcombe programme of early stuttering intervention

Jones, Onslow, Packman, Williams et al. · BMJ · 2005

Preschoolers treated for stuttering stuttered on 1.5% of syllables, versus 3.9% without treatment.

In a randomized trial in New Zealand, preschool children who stuttered and received the Lidcombe Program stuttered much less nine months later than children who did not. The program is delivered by parents, guided by a speech-language pathologist.

1.5%syllables stuttered with treatment, at 9 months
3.9%syllables stuttered without treatment
54children aged 3 to 6

Why the study was done

Many preschool children who stutter recover on their own, but some do not, and it is hard to predict which. Families need to know whether early treatment helps. This trial tested the Lidcombe Program, a parent-delivered treatment for young children who stutter.

What the researchers did

Fifty-four children aged 3 to 6 who stuttered on at least 2% of syllables were recruited at two public speech clinics in New Zealand. They were randomly assigned to the Lidcombe Program (29 children) or a control group (25 children). Parents recorded their child talking in three everyday situations at home before the trial and again at three, six and nine months. The people scoring the recordings did not know which group each child was in.

What they found

Nine months after the start, children in the Lidcombe group stuttered on 1.5% of syllables on average, compared with 3.9% in the control group.
The difference was 2.3 percentage points (95% confidence interval 0.8 to 3.9).
That difference was more than twice the smallest change the researchers had decided in advance would be worthwhile.

What this means for families

If your preschooler stutters, waiting is not the only option. Early, structured treatment in which parents play a central role has strong evidence behind it. A speech-language pathologist can assess your child and talk with you about whether and when to start.

Limits of the study

Families knew which group they were in, and the trial was relatively small. It reported results up to nine months; longer-term outcomes were studied separately.

The original study

Jones M, Onslow M, Packman A, Williams S, et al. Randomised controlled trial of the Lidcombe programme of early stuttering intervention. BMJ. 2005;331(7518):659.

Read the original study

This page is our plain-language summary, written from the study’s published abstract. The full article belongs to its publisher; some journals require a subscription to read it. This is general information, not medical advice. Talk with a licensed clinician about your own situation. The institution shown is where the lead author worked when the study was published; it does not endorse Speak Live Play.