Clinical trial NCT00945113: Pilot: Group Therapy for Children Who Stammer
Official title: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of Intensive Group Speech and Language Therapy as a Treatment for Older Children Who Stammer
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Stammering
Keywords: pilot
stammer
stutter
children
randomised controlled trial
RCT
Speech and Language Therapy
Stuttering
Lead sponsor: Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of Newcastle Upon-Tyne
name: North Tyneside Primary Care Trust
name: Northumberland Care Trust
First posted: 2009-07-23
Enrollment: 6
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 8
Maximum age (years): 15
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: The aim of the study is to answer the question: Is a large-scale research study of the effectiveness of group speech and language therapy (SALT) for young people who stammer possible?

The study will look at the issues involved in setting up a large-scale investigation of treatment for young people who stammer. It will inform the investigators whether larger studies would be possible and give some early-stage information on the effectiveness of group SALT for these young people. The findings will pave the way for building and testing out treatment programmes where there will be clear positive benefit for young people who stammer and their families.

To answer the research question, the study will tell the investigators (a) how easy/difficult it was to get people to take part, (b) young people and parents'/carers' views on taking part and (c) whether the assessments were able to pick up changes in speech and attitudes towards stammering reported by the young people and their carers.

Sufficient numbers of participants were not recruited to carry out the intended rehearsal pilot RCT study design.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Aged between 8;0 years and 15;11 years at 20.07.09
* Currently in treatment, on review or on waiting list for treatment.
* Has had an initial NHS Speech and Language Therapy assessment by Newcastle, Northumberland or North Tyneside Speech and Language Therapy service.
* Has a diagnosis of stammering.
* Has sufficient understanding of spoken (English) language to score at or above the 16th percentile on the Understanding Linguistic Concepts subtest of the CELF-4UK assessment.
* Available to attend treatment for the whole week of 20th July 2009
* Available to attend treatment for the whole week of 24th August 2009

Exclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of Attention and/or Hyperactivity Disorders
* Diagnosis of moderate or severe general learning difficulties
* Diagnosis of moderate or severe receptive and/or pragmatic language difficulties
* Parent/carer for whom an interpreter would be required

Primary outcomes:
measure: Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Evaluation of Stuttering (OASES) score
timeFrame: July 2009 week 2, July 2009 week 4, October 2009 week 4
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Newcastle-upon-Tyne
country: United Kingdom
facility: Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust
state: Tyne and Wear
Study officials:
affiliation: Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust
name: Lucy E Paterson, MA, BSc
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: