Effectiveness of Combined Prolonged Speech and Pause & Talk Techniques for Improving Speech Fluency in Children Who Stutter: A Quasi-Experimental Study

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Published: 2026-03-15
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61919/7cxj4x43
Keywords:
Developmental stuttering; Speech fluency; Prolonged Speech; Pause & Talk; Speech therapy; SSI-4.

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Muhammad Noman Maqbool
MS-SLHS (Speech and Language & Hearing Sciences), CMH Lahore Medical College & Institute of Dentistry, National University of Medical Sciences
Anum Ashraf
Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, The University of Lahore
Waqar-un-Nisa
JSET (Hearing Impairment), Government Higher Secondary School of Special Education (H.I), Okara

Abstract

Background: Developmental stuttering can impair speech fluency and affect communication during childhood. Structured fluency-oriented interventions may improve speech control, but evidence for combined approaches in school-age children remains limited. Objective: To assess changes in stuttering severity following a combined Prolonged Speech and Pause & Talk intervention in children with developmental stuttering. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test study included 22 children aged 5–12 years recruited purposively from clinical settings in Lahore, Pakistan. Participants received combined Prolonged Speech and Pause & Talk therapy three times weekly for 16 weeks. Stuttering severity was assessed before and after intervention using the Stuttering Severity Instrument–Fourth Edition. Paired changes were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Mean SSI-4 score decreased from 7.18 ± 1.42 before intervention to 1.09 ± 0.68 afterward, an absolute reduction of 6.09 points. The change was statistically significant (Z = −3.42, p = 0.001) with a large calculated effect size (r = 0.73). Moderate or severe stuttering decreased from 81.8% at baseline to 9.1% after intervention. Conclusion: Children demonstrated substantial improvement in stuttering severity following the combined intervention. Controlled studies are required to establish treatment-specific effects

Article Details

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 5 (2026)

Section

Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

[1]
Muhammad Noman Maqbool et al. 2026. Effectiveness of Combined Prolonged Speech and Pause & Talk Techniques for Improving Speech Fluency in Children Who Stutter: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Journal of Health, Wellness and Community Research. 4, 5 (Mar. 2026), 1–9. DOI:https://doi.org/10.61919/7cxj4x43.

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