title: Randomised controlled trial of the Lidcombe programme of early stuttering intervention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of the Lidcombe programme of early stuttering intervention by comparison to a control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pragmatic, open plan, parallel group, randomised controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two public speech clinics in New Zealand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stuttering preschool children who presented to the speech clinics for treatment. Inclusion criteria were age 3-6 years and frequency of stuttering of at least 2% syllables stuttered. Exclusion criteria were onset of stuttering during the six months before recruitment and treatment for stuttering during the previous 12 months. 54 participants were randomised: 29 to the Lidcombe programme arm and 25 to the control arm. 12 of the participants were girls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lidcombe programme of early stuttering intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frequency of stuttering was measured as the proportion of syllables stuttered, from audiotaped recordings of participants' conversational speech outside the clinic. Parents in both arms of the trial collected speech samples in three different speaking situations before randomisation and at three, six, and nine months after randomisation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis showed a highly significant difference (P = 0.003) at nine months after randomisation. The mean proportion of syllables stuttered at nine months after randomisation was 1.5% (SD 1.4) for the treatment arm and 3.9% (SD 3.5) for the control arm, giving an effect size of 2.3% of syllables stuttered (95% confidence interval 0.8 to 3.9). This effect size was more than double the minimum clinically worthwhile difference specified in the trial protocol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results provide evidence from a randomised controlled trial to support early intervention for stuttering. The Lidcombe programme is an efficacious treatment for stuttering in children of preschool age.
authors.affiliation: Queensland Clinical Trials Centre, University of Queensland, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woollongabba, Queensland 4102, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onslow
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Packman
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Tika
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ormond
authors.forename: Ilsa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: Val
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gebski
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013070:Speech Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013342:Stuttering / Q000534:rehabilitation*