Stuttering therapy through telepractice in Turkey: A mixed method study

PURPOSE: The effectiveness of telepractice in stuttering therapy in Turkey may be unclear, but there is good evidence for the efficaciousness of it from other countries, e.g., Australia. The purpose of the present study is to compare the outcomes of telepractice and in-person therapy delivery on traditional stuttering treatment and explore telepractice stuttering therapy experience in Turkey. METHODS: 20 adults who stutter participated in the study. Half the participants received treatment via telepractice, while the others were provided with services in-clinic. Based on a convergent parallel mixed-method research, quantitative (Study 1) and qualitative data (Study 2) were collected in parallel, analyzed separately, and then combined. Study 1 included a non-inferiority controlled trial, repeated measures, quasiexperimental design. Within the scope of the quantitative research, the objective clinical data, including the scale and assessment scores, were collected from two groups in three stages. Study 2 used the phenomenology approach to assess the qualitative aspects of our study. RESULTS: According to the quantitative findings in Study 1, the effectiveness of telepractice and in-person in the post-test and follow up is not significantly different. The following themes emerged out of the qualitative data analysis in Study 2: expectation, telepractice-participant suitability and advantages of telepractice, technology, therapy techniques and clinician skills, therapeutic components, satisfaction, and preference. CONCLUSION: The triangulation of quantitative and qualitative findings indicated that these data sets were compatible in general. The results show that telepractice is equally effective as the in-person method as a service delivery method for adults who stutter.