Post-therapy experiences of parents of children who stutter
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Post-therapy experiences: What can we learn from parents of children who stutter?
IRAS ID
192391
Contact name
Caroline Wood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2015/12/19, UCL Data Protection Registration
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 11 days
Research summary
Stuttering (stammering) is a very complex disorder of speech. As well making it difficult to speak fluently, it can have an effect on a person’s self-esteem, their social life, education, their emotions and – above all – their quality of life. The impact of stuttering is not the same for every child who stutters but depends a range of factors including physical factors, the child’s environment, their character and their speech and language skills.
Therapy for older children and adolescents is considered to be less successful than for younger children. Some respond well to treatment but others do not. For many people, the changes made during therapy are not maintained over time. Many people experience fluctuating progress after treatment where changes made in therapy are not maintained, the reasons for which are unknown. We need to know more about the process of change and we need to establish treatments that support people to maintain changes they have made. The factors which are associated with change therefore require further investigation.
This student project aims to identify the factors that parents of children who stutter associate with change. The aim will be addressed via a short semi-structured interview completed with between twelve and sixteen parents who have attended a one year therapy course with their children aged ten to fourteen years old. Responses to this interview will be analysed using a model from the field of psychology called the Behaviour Change Wheel, to see if any patterns emerge from what parents say. The model looks at the importance of capability, opportunity and motivation as part of the process of change. This analysis is combined with pre-existing data from questionnaires about children’s attitudes to their talking and the impact that stuttering has on their lives.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SC/0193
Date of REC Opinion
12 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion