About iWestmead

What is iWestmead?

iWestmead is a treatment for early stuttering, primarily designed for children under 6 years of age. It takes its name from the suburb of Sydney, in Australia, where the program was originally conceptualised. Essentially, all that is required to complete the program is for parents to practice a speech technique, called syllable-timed speech, with their child frequently throughout each day until stuttering decreases. Parents initially login to the program to learn the treatment procedures, after which they begin to practise during everyday interactions with their child. This is in addition to logging measurements of their child’s stuttering daily. The program uses these measurements to create tailored recommendations that assist with the implementation of treatment. These are sent to parents by email as a weekly update. Once the child’s stuttering reaches an extremely low level, practice of syllable-timed speech is withdrawn very gradually, over approximately one year to ensure that the stutter doesn’t return.

What is stuttering?

Stuttering is a disorder in which the flow of speech is interrupted. In a recent Australian study, up to 11% of children will begin to stutter by 4 years of age. Some children recover from stuttering naturally, although the exact rate of recovery and the average time taken for recovery is not known. Stuttering is most likely to be an inherited disorder affecting areas of the brain areas that support speech production. Stuttering is not caused by psychological factors such as nervousness or stress, parenting practices, or the way parents communicate with their children when they are young. The problem typically begins to appear as young children develop their language skills.

Can iWestmead cure stuttering?

Clinical trials show that in early childhood the Westmead Program can assist children to stop stuttering or have minimal stuttering. The Westmead program can also achieve this when children are older, but results may not be as positive.

What is the best time to start iWestmead?

It is known that some children will recover from stuttering without needing formal treatment, yet it remains impossible to tell which children will do this. What is clear though, is that school age children, adolescents, and adults who stutter are at a very high risk of developing social anxiety and mental health problems as a result of stuttering. The origins of these problems are likely to be in the pre-school years when negative peer reactions and signs of emotional and behavioural difficulties begin to emerge. Therefore, it is recommended that stuttering should be treated soon after diagnosis.

How does iWestmead reduce stuttering?

iWestmead involves parents practising a speech technique called syllable-timed speech with their child frequently throughout each day. Syllable-timed speech is known to inhibit stuttering, and so when a child uses the technique, their stuttering will subside until they revert back to customary speech. One theory that explains this inhibitory effect, is that syllable-timed speech removes stress contrasts, or variation, between syllables. This variation could be what destabilises an already vulnerable speech system to trigger stuttering. Using syllable-timed speech therefore, removes this potential trigger resulting in fluent speech production. In young children, regular practice of fluency could be particularly therapeutic with speech gains becoming more lasting due to greater brain plasticity.

Is iWestmead safe?

Given that it is not essential for parents to comment on their child’s stuttering, iWestmead can be considered safe. Furthermore, since the child is not expected to use syllable-timed speech as a replacement for their normal speech, iWestmead is not expected to alter a child’s natural way of speaking after treatment.

Can school aged children (+6 years old) be treated with iWestmead ?

Research shows that older school age children may respond better to iLidcombe, or a hybrid approach known as the Oakville Program. The latter can only be accessed via a speech pathologist.

Can stuttering come back after completing iWestmead?

Relapse can occur in rare cases after successful completion of iWestmead. If this happens, parents should contact a speech pathologist.

Can parents administer iWestmead to their child if they stutter themselves?

A parent’s stuttering will not interfere with the effectiveness of the treatment in any way. In fact, a stuttering parent may also experience temporary fluency gains while practising syllable-timed speech with their child.

Are there other treatment programs for stuttering?

iWestmead is a ‘direct’ treatment, as it focuses directly on the child’s speech. Another direct treatment is the Lidcombe Program (or iLidcombe). There are other more ‘indirect’ treatment programs which involve modifying the environment around the child who stutters.