An Overview of Facilities Providing Clinical Services for Persons Who Stutter in Kuwait

Abstract

Presently, no clear picture is available about the facilities providing clinical services for persons who stutter (PWS) in Kuwait. This information is crucial for any awareness program to be established in the future. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical facilities and speech-language personnel that provide services for PWS in Kuwait. Participants consisted of 21 clinical directors of governmental medical centers, non-profit clinics, and private clinics as well as department heads of governmental school clinics where speech-language services were provided. Participants were interviewed regarding the availability of speech-language services within their centers and whether or not PWS receive services. The results revealed that four out of five governmental medical centers with a total of 32 speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provided services for PWS. Additionally, 12 schools of special education were found to have 62 SLPs on their staff providing fluency services for students. Finally, two stand-alone private clinics and one non-profit clinic provided services for PWS. Results indicated an overall shortage of SLPs in the country, especially in medical settings. This study sets the foundation for a series of future studies investigating the type and quality of stuttering services provided by the identified facilities in Kuwait.