Treatment clinical trial - three types - for children with fluency disorders and stuttering.

PURPOSE

To present a treatment clinical trial, involving three types of treatment for chronic developmental stuttering (CDS), to verify whether they present indicators and sufficient information to establish an effective and safe benefit-risk relationship.

METHODS

The study included 252 children between 2 and 12 years old, who underwent assessment and treatment for CDS. Among the selected children, 93 met the established inclusion criteria. After obtaining the scores for the risk of CDS (Protocol for the Risk of Developmental Stuttering), all children were assessed according to their fluency profile and the severity level of stuttering. The children underwent treatment for CDS Green, Yellow and Red Programs. The treatment chosen for each child was based on the analysis of the risk for CDS.

RESULTS

All therapeutic programs presented positive results in the post-treatment assessment considering the analyzed parameters, with the exception of word repetition, sound prolongation at the end of words, and intrusion of sounds/word segments.

CONCLUSION

The tested therapeutic programs - green, yellow, and red - were efficient for most of the participants. The direct intervention used in the Red Program was highly efficient in promoting fluent speech. This result suggests that for most of the patients with a higher risk of developing the chronic form of stuttering, the use of specific fluency promotion techniques is indicated.