Here’s a Freebie for you all. Many parents quickly find that Talking Practice sessions get boring or they struggle to think of something new to do. The attached poster will hopefully help you to keep practice fresh and fun. Remember to chat with your speech pathologist about how to pitch the tasks so that your […]
15
Sep
Sep
Here is the last post in this series about the basics of this treatment approach. Set up a plan for home practice for the coming week. There’s nothing new about this. Speech Pathologists do this all the time. The home practice plan tends to evolve as the session progresses. Often, I start a list for […]
08
Sep
Sep
Ok, so we finally get to the component where the clinician is working directly with the child. Even then… this should be a three way activity with the parent joining in and gradually taking over from the clinician. This allows the clinician to evaluate the viability of, and any issues with, the parent doing the […]
04
Sep
Sep
The next meeting for the Lidcombe Program SIG is Wednesday 18 September 2020, 4-6pm. We meet twice per year and update each other on current research, clinical issues and clinical sharing about our work with young children who stutter. At our next meeting, we will be looking at Telepractice and the Lidcombe Program. You can […]
31
Aug
Aug
This is such a key part of each session. Most parents are uncomfortable to start with but the clinician should provide a safe and supportive environment where trial and error, failure and giving it a go are encouraged. I always ask parents to bring in three things to each session: 1. The severity rating chart […]
13
Aug
Aug
Before the parent and child demonstrates some home practice, we discuss the how things went at home in great detail. Setting, tracking and monitoring the ‘treatment dose’ is key to making sense of the severity rating chart. Treatment can be adjusted and developed depending on what’s happening at home. The parent knows from the outset […]
07
Aug
Aug
Just like the severity rating chart, speech sampling is a non-negotiable component of Lidcombe Program therapy sessions. The beginning of each session involves listening to the child speaking in an everyday talking context. The sample can be elicited by the clinician, the parent or both. I tend to avoid providing toys and games at this […]
29
Jul
Jul
Here is a new series of posts about key components the Lidcombe Program. Critics tend to see the LP as a ‘cookbook approach’ to therapy. This is a long way from reality. The program maps out a range of essential components, but how this works with each child, each parent and each clinician, is very […]
25
Mar
Mar
I am excited to announce I am ready to Zoom!Zoom is the tele-health platform I will be using to offer all clients online therapy sessions.Importantly, and in line with Government directives, all face-to-face appointments will be changed to Zoom appointments or telephone consultations effective from today. I will be in touch with all clients before their next […]
You may be starting to wonder whether you should attend your next appointment with me. Appointments All appointments are proceeding as scheduled at this stage. The current risk of transmission of Covid-19 remains low. The only parents who should reschedule an appointment are those that need to be quarantined at home: Children/parents who have returned from overseas travel […]
12
Mar
Mar
The next meeting for the Lidcombe Program SIG is Wednesday 20 March 2020, 4-6pm. We meet twice per year and update each other on current research, clinical issues and clinical sharing about our work with young children who stutter. At our next meeting, we will be looking at Syllable Timed Speech and the Westmead Program […]
Dice are a really neat way of incorporating massed practice and improving output and productivity in Talking Practice in the Lidcombe Program (and in speech sounds therapy too). Dice add a playful and competitive vibe to what can otherwise be a bit of a dull talking task. Large chunky foam dice are less likely to […]
It’s Therapy Thursday again… Early on in the Lidcombe Program, once the parent and child are doing well with picture books, I usually introduce simple, structured card games. The aim of varying the activities in talking practice sessions is to start to emulate the idea of generalisation. That is, the child practices stutter free speech in […]
Yesterday, October 22 was International Stuttering Awareness Day! There are many theories and popular beliefs about what causes stuttering. However, despite considerable scientific research from the second half of the 20th century, the cause of the disorder remains a mystery. All we can say at present is that stuttering involves some problem with the neural processing—the […]
It’s Therapy Thursday! Who Knew how useful Barrier Games can be… This is my first post about therapy ideas for use in Talking Practice Sessions (aka Structured Conversations) in the Lidcombe Program. Feel free to share your ideas here too. These posts are pitched at Speech Pathologists. If you are a parent of a child […]
The next meeting for the Lidcombe Program SIG is next month, on Wednesday 17 October 4-6pm. We meet about twice per year and update each other on current research, clinical issues and clinical sharing about trials and tribulations in our work with young children who stutter. Recently we have been thrashing out issues around the […]
Last week, I was fortunate to attend a one day seminar presented by Dr Kate Bridgman from La Trobe University. Kate has researched and practiced in the field of stuttering for many years and has developed particular expertise in delivering evidenced based therapies via tele-practice. Kate provided a timely reminder about what our national professional […]
As well as working with young children who stutter, I also work with adolescents and adults who stutter, using the Camperdown Program. Scenari-Aid in an Australian based site which has loads of simulated scenarios for practising speech and language goals. Its a great ‘bridge’ in therapy for helping clients to generalise their fluency technique into […]
Here’s a few more facts about early stuttering: Nearly 14% of all children start stuttering by 4 years of age. About 75% of children who stutter, recover spontaneously. Only 6.3% recover spontaneously in the first year after onset. Early intervention remains key in preventing lifelong stuttering. Children who are treated using the Lidcombe Program are […]
Our first meeting took place here in Perth, WA, on 14 October. It was a small and select group but there was plenty of passion and lots of sharing about using the Lidcombe Program with young children who stutter and ensuring evidence-based practice and great outcome for our clients. We were fortunate to have Dr […]
The Lidcombe Program website is now available to view: http://www.lidcombeprogram.org The site contains information for Speech Pathologists, families and caregivers, and teachers and health professionals. Enjoy!