A Qualitative Evaluation of Participants Experience of Stammering Awareness Training

Abstract

Narratives by people who stammer are often ones of difficulty in social situations and experience of negative reactions (Crichton-Smith, 2002) these responses can have a significant impact on how an individual responds to and copes with stammering (Plexico, Manning and Levitt, 2009) and patterns of avoidance can emerge which lead to lack of access to services. Research has shown that the general public do hold negative attitudes and stereotypes of people who stammer (Boyle, Blood and Blood, 2009; MacKinnon, Hall and MacInttyre, 2007) Many of these studies have used a quantitative questionnaire method. Few (Hughes, Gabel, Irani and Schlagheck, 2010) have used qualitative methods to further explore this Furthermore there have been a very few studies (Flynn and St Louis, 2011; Hughes, Gabel, Roseman and Daniels, 2013) to investigate if attitude can be changed by awareness raising activities. This presentation reports some of the key themes emerging from a qualitative investigation of the experience of front of house staff in the National Health Service (NHS) who have attended an awareness raising session delivered by adults who stammer (AWS) and an speech and language therapist (SLT). The method was a qualitative approach. Phenomenology was the guiding approach and data collected in focus groups. Each focus group was conducted by the first author. The first focus group was observed by a Highly Specialist SLT with experience in qualitative researching. The subsequent two focus groups were observed by an SLT who was given training. Transcripts of each group were made and analysed by the first author using a descriptive phenomenological approach (Finlay, 2011). Reflexive research practice was maintained throughout the process through reflective discussion with the group observers and note and diary keeping throughout analysis. Participants identified that the course had increased their awareness of how to support people who stammer and changed their approach when dealing with them face to face. They described understanding that things they thought were helpful (such as finishing sentences) were not and that they were more patient. Involvement of people who stammer in the training was seen as a key factor for them in affecting this change as this allowed for open discussion about and observation of stammering. Participants still reported that situations where they were on the phone or where they were under time pressure were situations when they were less confident in being able to support people who stammer in the way they would like to. Interaction with AWS resulted in reports of both attitude and behaviour change. Of all the aspects of the awareness raising session interaction with people who stammer was seen as the most important and this suggests that AWS or children who stammer should always be involved in awareness rising. Participants’ reports of situations which they find more difficult mirror those often reported by AWS (Crichton-Smith, 2002). This small scale study is limited in its generalisability, nevertheless this qualitative method has allowed for in depth understanding of the factors affecting reported change in this group.