Health and human services for persons who stutter and education of logopedists in East-European countries.
The International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP) assessed the therapy status of fluency disorders, service opportunities, and education of logopedists (speech-language pathologists) with a mail survey in Eastern Europe. Information was collected on the following aspects: incidence, prevalence, availability of information, non-therapeutic support for persons who stutter (PWS), providers of diagnostics and therapy, cooperating professionals, therapy approaches, forms, goals, financing, early detection and prevention, training of professionals, specialization in stuttering therapy, needs for improving the situation of PWS, and problems which hinder better care. Stuttering therapy for children is available in many countries and is frequently provided by the educational system. Therapy for adults is provided best by the health services but is not satisfactorily available everywhere. Modern therapeutic approaches coexist with obsolete ones. Lack of resources, awareness, entitlement, and assessment of therapy effectiveness are pervasive problems.


OBJECTIVE
Readers will be able to describe and evaluate: (1) the therapy status of fluency disorders and service opportunities in various East-European countries; (2) the training of logopedists (speech-language pathologists); (3) specialization in stuttering therapy; and (4) the organizational services for PWS within the health and human service systems.
Fibiger
Steen
S
Rehabilitation Centre, Region of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark. Steen.Fibiger@soc.regionsyddanmark.dk
Peters
Herman F M
HF
Euler
Harald A
HA
Neumann
Katrin
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005061:Europe, Eastern; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013038:Specialization; D013070:Speech Therapy / Q000193:education*; D013342:Stuttering / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000078329:Workforce