Evaluating the Efficacy of Telepractice Speech Therapy for an Adult Who Covertly Stutters
Date
8-12-2020 9:20 AM
Abstract
The aim of this case study is to evaluate the efficacy of telepractice speech therapy sessions using a holistic therapeutic approach (e.g. stuttering modification, avoidance reduction, acceptance and commitment therapy) to reduce avoidance of stuttering and increase positive self-image as a communicator for an adult who covertly stutters as compared to baseline. The current study utilizes an ABM single-subject experimental design (SSED) format (baseline [A], intervention [B] and maintenance [M]). Measures of the participant’s baseline attitudes toward their stutter were taken using the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering - Adult Version (OASES-A) and percent of words stuttered (%WS) prior to the start of intervention. The participant received bi-weekly speech therapy sessions over the course of 9 weeks, including both a 1-hour individual therapy session and a 1-hour group therapy session. During the intervention phase, weekly data points of frequency of stuttering (%WS out of a 300- word conversational sample) and self-report of avoidance using a Likert scale were collected. The intervention phase has been completed and the participant is currently in the maintenance phase. Data collection and analysis will be completed by mid-July. Data will be analyzed via visual inspection to observe any possible effects of intervention.
Biographies
Patrizha Schroth
Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences
Patrizha Schroth is an undergraduate student at Portland State University majoring in Speech and Hearing Sciences. She is performing research under Dr. Megann McGill through the PSU Stuttering Lab and is expected to complete her research in Summer 2020. She has been a member of the stuttering lab since 2017, coding speech samples for individuals who stutter who are receiving speech therapy services via telepractice through PSU. She has completed a directed clinical assistantship for the aphasia support group through the Adult Language Clinic, and has also interned for the Oregon Health Authority as a newborn hearing screener. Her research interests include using telepractice to increase accessibility to speech therapy services, stuttering and avoidance, and neurogenic communication disorders. She will begin the master’s program for Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) at PSU in the Fall of 2020, aspiring to become a medical SLP and eventually acquire her PhD to perform further research on communication disorders.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Megann McGill
Megann McGill, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech & Hearing Sciences at Portland State University. Her research lab (the PSU Stuttering Lab) explores telepractice: a rapidly growing clinical approach within healthcare that allows for the provision of services over the Internet. Her work focuses on the efficacy and efficiency of using telepractice for speech-language therapy with children and adults who stutter. Specifically, she is interested in determining if telepractice services are valid and reliable means of conducting initial evaluations and ongoing therapy for clients who stutter.
Disciplines
Speech and Hearing Science
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33522
Evaluating the Efficacy of Telepractice Speech Therapy for an Adult Who Covertly Stutters
The aim of this case study is to evaluate the efficacy of telepractice speech therapy sessions using a holistic therapeutic approach (e.g. stuttering modification, avoidance reduction, acceptance and commitment therapy) to reduce avoidance of stuttering and increase positive self-image as a communicator for an adult who covertly stutters as compared to baseline. The current study utilizes an ABM single-subject experimental design (SSED) format (baseline [A], intervention [B] and maintenance [M]). Measures of the participant’s baseline attitudes toward their stutter were taken using the Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering - Adult Version (OASES-A) and percent of words stuttered (%WS) prior to the start of intervention. The participant received bi-weekly speech therapy sessions over the course of 9 weeks, including both a 1-hour individual therapy session and a 1-hour group therapy session. During the intervention phase, weekly data points of frequency of stuttering (%WS out of a 300- word conversational sample) and self-report of avoidance using a Likert scale were collected. The intervention phase has been completed and the participant is currently in the maintenance phase. Data collection and analysis will be completed by mid-July. Data will be analyzed via visual inspection to observe any possible effects of intervention.