Exploring the effectiveness and potential benefit of music therapy with adolescents who experience developmental stammering: a mixed methods study

Adolescence is a developmental stage characterised by significant growth in the areas of emotional, physical, social, and cognitive development, which have a significant influence on individual outcomes later in adulthood. For young people who stammer, difficulties multiply during the adolescent years (Van Riper, 1982), and the last thing adolescents want to do is touch, feel, see, and/or discuss their speech production or fluency (Couture, 1982). Despite music therapy being a common intervention for adolescent populations and individuals with speech disorders such as verbal apraxia, aphasia, and hearing impairment, little has been documented on music therapy with individuals who stammer. This thesis explored music and music therapy with adolescents who experience developmental stammering and investigated the effectiveness of a music therapy group intervention with this client group. Participants (adolescents and adults who stammer, music therapists and speech and language therapists) were recruited to explore their perceptions and experiences of music and music therapy for stammering. The following embedded mixed methods design was used to collect data from these individuals: 1. Semi-structured interviews with individuals who stammer, music therapists and speech and language therapists 2. One-group pre-test post-test music therapy group intervention with adolescents who stammer 3. Semi-structured interviews with adolescents who stammer who participated in the music therapy group intervention The study found that developmental stammering can have a negative impact on the speaker, and that such an impact may be reduced through music therapy delivered in a group format. A range of benefits were experienced by participants including an increase in confidence, self-esteem, and social participation. Further research is needed to extend the findings of this study. An increase in the number of adolescent participants is recommended, and a longer follow-up period for post-test measures. This thesis is exclusive in that it advances the integration of music therapy into continuum of support services for adolescents who experience developmental stammering. The combined qualitative and quantitative results of this study support the use of music therapy with adolescents who experience developmental stammering.