Lidcombe News Edition 31st - Montreal Fluency

Dear Sue,
I have a family who came to see me with twins who both
stutter. They are both boys, aged 4years 2m, and have
similar types and severity of stuttering. I know I will need to
see them both but am unsure how to proceed.
Should I see them simultaneously or consecutively?
If I see them simultaneously should the mother and I be working with
them individually or could I see them together, as a little group?
What in your experience have you found to be the better system and
why?
I am presuming that immediate treatment for both boys using the
Lidcombe Program (LP) is preferred. There might be a number of options
that the clinician could consider, along with the parent, but whatever is
decided it will be essential to determine quickly whether the approach is
working, and if not what changes to make. The obvious pitfall would be
that in trying to be time efficient neither boy receives appropriate
therapy.
Start as usual by discussing with the parent what is needed for the LP to
work. This would include:
• measurement for both children
• sufficient effective therapy at home to achieve the desired change
for both children
• sufficient clinic time to allow appropriate teaching and checking of
progress in relation to both the children etc.
With this knowledge and that of their home situation the parent may
well have an initial preferred, treatment delivery option.
The treatment options that the Stuttering Unit would consider for the
boys are:
Option 1
Trial starting the therapy for both boys at the same time. Extend the
clinic visit to one and a half hours to allow time to consider both boys
individually during the clinic visit. This would also ensure appropriate
problem solving in relation to each child. The parent could then provide
separate treatment times at home for each child. This approach is then
providing pretty much the standard LP to each child but during the same
time period.
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