call (516)776-0184Lidcombe Program for Early Childhood Stuttering
What is the Lidcombe Program for Early Childhood Stuttering?
“Lila started kindergarten this month. We wanted to let you know that she was screened by her school speech therapist this week. When we told the speech therapist that Lila had received services for stuttering, she said she would have never known. Lila does not stutter anymore and we can’t thank you enough.” (Kelli and Matt, parents of Lila)
The Lidcombe Program is a behavioral treatment program that was designed specifically for young children who stutter. The objective of this program is to teach parents to provide treatment in the child’s everyday environment. Both parents and child visit a Speech/Language Pathologist (SLP) trained in the Lidcombe Program once weekly. Parents are shown how to provide constructive and positive feedback to their child at various times during the day. This is all done within a positive and fun setting. Parents are given severity rating scales to track the child’s stuttering at home. This is demonstrated by the SLP before parents start the treatment process. Progress is reviewed weekly in the clinic and treatment is adjusted on an individual basis as needed.
Lori Melnitsky, MA CCC-SLP has received training as a Lidcombe therapist and has treated many young children who stutter with wonderful results! Parents have commented how they enjoy being an integral part of their child’s therapy sessions.
Children between the ages of 3 and 6 years old are ideal candidates for this innovative program. It is vital to contact a speech pathologist specializing in fluency disorders to find out more information.
For more information on the Lidcombe program and stuttering, contact Lori Melnitsky, MA CCC-SLP at 516-776-0184 or use the contact page to send an inquiry via email.
Lori Melnitsky, MA CCC-SLP has been a speech pathologist since 1992 and overcame a severe stuttering disorder. Her daughter stuttered from age 2 1/2 to 4. “Lidcombe wasn’t being used in the United States when my daughter was growing up. I wish it had been. Although she stopped stuttering at the age of 4, the process getting there might have been shorter.”
Preschool Stuttering and Lidcombe (ages 2.5 to 5)
The P.A.C.E. program was developed to incorporate parents in the therapy process. P.A.C.E. is an acronym for parents and children effectively working together to achieve improved communication. The program was developed as a result of Lori’s experience treating her daughter who stuttered from ages 2 ½ to 4. Parents are educated and taught how to modify the environment at home in hopes of eliminating stuttering. The Lidcombe Program for Early Childhood Stuttering (link) is an effective approach used for preschool children who stutter. The success rate of eliminating stuttering is increased when intervention is sought early on.
“Thank you for not only introducing us to the Lidcombe Program for Stuttering but also for educating us. We can’t tell you how much we appreciate your patience and knowledge in helping us learning how to react to his stuttering. We now know never to tell a stutterer to “slow down and take a breath.” This program not only eliminated stuttering in our son’s life but taught us that speech therapy can be fun. It brought us closer together. We can’t thank you enough for your expertise and empathy.” (Michael and Linda C. West Babylon, NY – Parents of a 5 year old boy)
