A five-year file audit of paediatric stuttering management: a research to practice comparison

The efficacy of treatment programs for paediatric stuttering (e.g., the Lidcombe Program) has been well established in clinical trials. However, due to the highly controlled nature of this research, translation to typical clinical settings and caseloads may be challenging. Little evidence has been published capturing data from community caseloads about paediatric stuttering. This is essential to inform the translational research process. The aims of this study were to: (a) establish key characteristics of clients seeking paediatric stuttering treatment; (b) compare these characteristics to eligibility criteria from published stuttering clinical trials; and (c) determine the service and treatment types required for these clients. This five-year file audit from a private practice in Melbourne Australia extracted descriptive data from 40 consecutive paediatric fluency files. Results confirm a gap between stuttering research and practice largely due to differences in the characteristics of this community caseload compared to clinical trial samples, particularly regarding the presence of comorbidities. Further research and education is needed that addresses the needs of typical clinical presentations of this caseload.