Exploring CBT as part of a parent training for children who stammer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) within a Parent Training Programme for children who stammer
IRAS ID
215701
Contact name
Sandra Dunsmuir
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Joint Research Office, University College London Hospitals
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
16/0650, UCL R & D; Z6364106/2016/10/48, UCL data protection
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 24 days
Research summary
This study aims to examine the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) within a parent training programme for children who stammer. CBT focuses on the links between thoughts, feelings and behaviour, particularly the way unhelpful thoughts may lead to and maintain potentially problematic behaviours. Stammering is a neuro-developmental speech disorder that typically develops in the preschool years, affecting around 5% of this population. Research has shown that parents’ of children who stammer often experience feelings of guilt and shame and have high levels of anxiety about the impact on their child which can lead to potentially maladaptive responses. The study aims to answer whether CBT can affect parents’ attitudes towards their child’s stammering, whether parents’ view CBT as a useful component within therapy and whether children’s fluency will improve as a result. The potential benefit to participants is the opportunity to play a part in informing future research into helping children who stammer.
The study will be conducted in an NHS Early Years Speech and Language Therapy Service, community clinic setting. Criteria for inclusion will be parents or carers of a child aged between 3 and 5 years on the current waiting with a diagnosis of stammering as assessed by a speech and language therapist. Parents will be invited to opt in to research intervention which will run over 6 weeks, of weekly, 90 minute group sessions. The session content does not deviate from that already being used in the service so uses the same evidence base. Assessment data will be collected both pre and post intervention and will consist of a measure of children’s percentage syllables stuttered, taken from speech samples during play-based interaction with a parent, a short questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Collectively, these assessments are anticipated to take no longer than 1 hour to complete.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EM/0473
Date of REC Opinion
25 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion