We investigated the effectiveness of a simplified program for the treatment of stuttering in children. The simplified treatment induded awareness training, in which the subjects learned to detect every occurrence of stuttering; training a response incompatible with stuttering, which involved relaxation and regulation of air flow over the larynx when speaking; and social support, which involved parentdelivered prompts and praise of children's use of the techniques in everyday environments. Eight children were treated in their homes with the simplified treatment, in a multiple baseline across subjects design, and all reached the criterion level of less than 3% words stuttered. In addition, the reduction in stuttering generalized to the school setting and was maintained at posttreatment (10 to 13 months). The subjects' rates of speech remained stable throughout baseline and treatment. Pretreatment and posttreatment ratings by the parents showed that they found treatment to be both acceptable and credible. Finally, social validity measures revealed a noticeable improvement in the subjects' speech to parents and speech pathologists.

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We report 3.5-year follow-up data from children who participated in a study that evaluated a behavioral treatment for stuttering. Six of 7 subjects continued to be at or below the criterion of 3% stuttered words. Stuttering increased for 1 subject, but remained far below his baseline level. Social validity data are also reported.