LONG-TERM RESULTS OF AN INTENSIVE TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR ADULTS AND ADOLESCENTS WHO STUTTER

In order to determine the long-term effects of an intensive treatment program, 17 adult and 25 adolescent stutterers were tested 2 or 3 time s during a 12- to 24-month post-intensive treatment phase. The results of this study are intended to augment and supplement the growing body of evidence about the effects of intensive treatment programs on adul t and adolescent stutterers. Follow-up measures included surprise phon e calls to clients at home/work and a self-administered Speech Perform ance Questionnaire. Careful training of speech raters was undertaken t o ensure high reliability of speech measures. Results from the phone c all samples indicated that about 69% of the subjects maintained a sati sfactory level of post-treatment fluency, with an additional 7% mainta ining a level that was judged to be marginally satisfactory. On the se lf-administered Questionnaire, 80% of the subjects rated their speech fluency as good or fair 1 2 to 24 months after treatment.