Perspectives of stuttering treatment: Children, adolescents, and parents

•Perceived changes related to treatment and preferences for goals were mixed, not clearly based on age or years in therapy.•Fewer years of treatment were associated with higher ratings of satisfaction.•Treatment preferences may vary depending on context or when presented with reference to a specific scenario.•Parents and children/adolescents may have similar perspectives of treatment more often than not.•Ratings of treatment satisfaction, perceived change in speech, and in communication skills, showed room for improvement. Researchers investigated whether children who stutter (CWS), adolescents who stutter (ADWS), and their parents preferred treatment focused on changing speech or communicating regardless of stuttering. Twenty-four parents and their CWS (n = 11, ages 8;0–12;11) or ADWS (n = 13, ages 13;0–17;11) answered questions about their preferences for stuttering treatment via an internet-based survey; an additional 11 surveys were filled in only by parents without responses by their child/adolescent. The researchers compared responses of the parents and their children, as well as between the two age groups and years in treatment (less than five years versus five or more years). Views tended to be mixed without any clear trends based on age. Just over half of the CWS, ADWS, and parents of CWS indicated a general tendency for therapy satisfaction; however, less years of treatment were associated with more satisfaction. When presented with a specific scenario, a higher proportion of parents expressed focus on their child saying what they want to say, regardless of stuttering. Otherwise, preferences were mixed on therapy goals of speaking freely vs. speaking more fluently. Preferences for treatment goals do not predictably vary based on age or years in treatment; given the small sample size, these findings should be considered with caution. Given the variability in responses, it is evident that stuttering treatment for school-age children and adolescents should be individualized. These results also emphasize the importance of communication, education, and applying a person-centered approach when providing stuttering intervention to children, adolescents, and their parents.