MODIFICATION OF PROLONGED SPEECH THERAPY IN TREATING STUTTERING AND ITS ASSOCIATED NEGATIVE TRAITS AMONG ADULTS: CASE OF NAIROBI STAMMERING SUPPORT GROUP, NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Prolonged Speech technique’s effectiveness in the treatment of stuttering and its associated traits among adults. The main objective of the study was to find out if there is a need for modifying prolonged speech techniques in treating stuttering and its associated traits. An experimental method was used where quantitative and qualitative designs were used. The study was guided by the behaviorist theory proposed by B.F. Skinner. The study was carried out at the Nairobi Stammering Support Group. The participants were ten adults who stutter and were selected through purposive sampling. Questionnaires, interviews, and observations were used to collect the data. A pilot study was carried out. All research instruments were tested for validity and reliability, the data which was corrected was categorized, coded and data was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative techniques. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics in the form of percentages and was presented using pie charts and bar graphs. Qualitative data was analyzed after thematically arranging responses according to the research questions and objectives. The study found out that there was a need to modify prolonged speech technique by incorporating other treatment approaches especially cognitive and psychological. The study recommends more research on other stuttering treatment techniques. Further, the study recommends that speech-language therapists assess individual needs before using specific treatment techniques.  Article visualizations: