Evaluation of regulated-breathing method with and without parental assistance in the treatment of child stutterers

Abstract

The regulated-breathing method appears to be one of the most promising techniques for the treatment of stuttering in adults. In the original experiment reported by Azrin and Nunn (1974), only two children were included. The present experiment was conducted in order to evaluate the efficacy of this therapeutic method with and without direct parental assistance. Twenty-one stuttering children were assigned to two treatment groups and one control group. The first group received the regulated-breathing treatment package, the second group was treated by their parents, trained to apply the regulated-breathing method, and the third group was a waiting-list control group. Obtrusive and unobtrusive measures of speech were recorded. At one month follow-up, although the frequency of stuttering in the two treatment groups was not statistically less than the results obtained by the control group, a 50% decrease occurred from baseline to follow-up periods. On the other hand, the control group showed an increase of stuttering of about 20%. Such results are discussed in relation to those reported by Azrin and Nunn and ways to improve the efficacy of the regulated-breathing method are suggested.