Evidence-based treatment of stuttering: I. Definition and application

The philosophy guiding evidence-based treatment and its application to decision-making in stuttering treatment is described. Limitations to the use of evidence-based treatment principles to guide stuttering treatment, namely the lack of a substantial treatment research literature that can serve as the basis for meta-analyses and systematic reviews of effective treatment studies, are bemoaned. Guidelines are provided to aid clinicians in their own conduct of critical evaluations of treatment research. EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES: The reader will learn about and be able to (1) describe the four steps that characterize evidence-based practice, (2) evaluate previous efforts to develop practice guidelines for stuttering, (3) assess the importance of an evidence-based approach to stuttering treatment, and (4) discuss the need for more research that will contribute to the evidence base.