DEMANDS & CAPACITIES MODEL (RESTART) FOR TREATMENT OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN WHO STUTTER

This workshop is designed for speech and language pathologists who want to be trained to practice a Demands and Capacities-based treatment for young stuttering children. This method was investigated in the RESTART trial (see www.restartdcm.org). Participants will practice with the selection of relevant assessment factors and will practice their treatment skills so that they are able to use the method in their daily practice.

Treatment For Children Who Stutter

By the late eighties, the Demands and Capacities Model (DCM) approach had emerged as the standard treatment in the Netherlands for young children who stutter. The exact procedure followed however varied extensively. In some cases, parents were only given advice (e.g. to speak to their child more slowly, while in other cases, speech therapists (fluency experts) gave, instead of advice, training to parents to achieve actual behavioral change. Some focused solely on reducing ‘demands’, while others also worked on reinforcing the ‘capacities’ of the child.

For purpose of a similar treatment approach during the study, the RESTART DCM Method manual was developed. In the final stage of the project, it was decided to make the protocol generally accessible.