Stuttering:Its Nature and Management By Courtney Stromsta, Ph.D.

stuttering: its nature and managementby Courtney Stromsta, Ph.D.Published byStuttering Foundation of America3100 Walnut Grove Rd., Suite 603P. O. Box 11749Memphis, Tennessee 38111-0749The Stuttering Foundation of America is a nonprofitcharitable organization dedicated to the prevention andtreatment of stuttering.Copyright 2008

Contents Preface v Introduction viiChapter I Introduction 1Chapter II Stuttering Defined 7Chapter III Management of Stuttering 15Chaper IV A brief outline of therapy for stutterers 49Appendix A Phonetic Alphabet 53Appendix B Common intraphonemic disruptions and complicating behaviors in stuttering 55

Preface C ourtney Stromsta (1922-1995) was a professor of Speechand Hearing Science at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo,Michigan from 1968 to 1987. Along with Dr. Charles Van Riper, heconducted research into the problem of stuttering, looking for ways toimprove therapy. In 1986 he published Elements of Stuttering which is nowavailable from the Stuttering Foundation. Several years after his death, his daughter Sveri asked her mother(Rose Stromsta) if there was perhaps a briefcase that Sveri could have.They located one that had belonged to Courtney. Just as they were reach-ing for it, Sveri said to Rose what if there is a book manuscript in there?and indeed there was. This manuscript was originally edited by Gordon De Young of KeyPublishing Services in 1994. It has not been re-edited for more contem-porary vocabulary. The term stutterer while not used as frequently now,was the norm then, and has been retained for this edition.Carroll GuitarStuttering Foundation

Introduction I n response to requests, the information in this book aboutthe nature and management of stuttering is a condensed version of mymore thorough discussion of the disorder: Courtney Stromsta, Elementsof Stuttering originally published by Atsmorts Publishing in Ostemo,Michigan in 1986. The original material has been condensed so as to emphasize manage-ment of stuttering and concepts basic to its understanding. For the sake ofsimplicity, this compendium is not referenced. Relevant references can befound in the aforementioned text. Chapter One points out the need for using phonetic symbols to rep-resent speech sounds. A phonetic alphabet appears in Appendix A. Alsoincluded is an introduction to visible speech (sound spectrography) andcoarticulation (the effect neighboring speech sounds have on each other),concepts necessary for an objective discussion of speech in general andstuttering in particular. Chapter Two describes and defines the core behavior of stuttering anddifferentiates it from reactions to stuttering and nonfluency, the latterbeing a common commodity in normal speech. Chapter Three discusses concepts and procedures that collectivelyserve as an efficient means of alleviating the problem of stuttering. Chapter Four is a useful clinical outline of Chapter Three. Many people interested in the alleviation of stuttering have been helpedby the material presented here. We trust you will find it helpful also.

Chapter I Introduction T he material in this book is an attempt to help therapists andstutterers understand (1) the core behavior of stuttering, (2) differentreactions to stuttering, and (3) simple procedures that serve to alleviatestuttering while paying little or no attention to reactions (secondary symp-toms) of stuttering. The attempt to help those interested in stuttering isaimed at reducing the overwhelming effects that lack-of-definition or over-inclusive-definitions of stuttering have had on theory, research, and therapyof the disorder. The following chapters will discuss (1) the core behavior ofstuttering as a defect in coarticulation, (2) the development of reactions tocore stuttering, and (3) the management of stuttering based on proceduresthat emphasize strengthening motoric patterns of coarticulation. Before proceeding, we must introduce a standardized set of symbolsused to represent the sounds of speech which is needed to describe speechspectrography and coarticulation, two concepts referred to extensivelythroughout what follows.Symbols for Speech Sounds One purpose of this book is to reduce the mystery in the minds of manyabout speech in general and stuttering in particular. A major point of con-fusion in discussing speech is that the 26 letters of the English alphabet donot adequately represent the more than 40 basic sounds produced whenwe speak. Consider the following: The letter o has a different sound whenwe say each of the following words: do, go, dove, not, woman, women.In contrast, the speech sound /I/ is represented by a in courage, ay inMonday, e in pretty, in ea in fear, ee in been, i in bit, ie in sieve, u in busy,o in women, y in cyst, and so forth. 1

2 Introduction Learning to identify speech sounds by means of phonetic symbols isimportant for the analysis and management of stuttering. An abbreviatedphonetic alphabet is included as Appendix A. Stutterers should spend timestudying it and practice analyzing spoken words. Sound Learning to identify speech sounds Spectrography by means of phonetic symbols is important Just as the micro- scope revolutionized medical science hun- dreds of years ago, sovisible speech (sound spectrography) revolutionized speech science someforty years ago. It did so by showing how neighboring speech soundsdrastically affect each other when they are connected together in runningspeech. Before this important discovery, speech sounds were assumed tobe like separate beads on a string, with any given speech sound being thesame, no matter what other speech sounds preceded or followed it. Figure 1.1 is a sound spectrogram. It displays the two sounds of I (thepersonal pronoun) or eye (the organ of vision) blended slowly at the leftand normally at the right. The vertical dimension represents frequency ofFigure 1.1vibration, from low to high; the horizontal dimension represents passageof time in seconds, and the lightness and darkness of the markings repre-sents softness-to-loudness of the recorded signal. Note the horizontal darkbars. They symbolize bands of frequencies resonated in various cavities ofthe vocal tract (mouth, throat, and nasal cavity). During speech, shapesof the cavities are changed by movements of the articulators (lips, tongue,etc.) resulting in changes of resonated frequencies. The upward and down-ward bending of the horizontal bars are called transitions, which indicatechanges in the frequency components of the signal caused by movements

Introduction 3of the articulators. Thus, the blending of the two sounds in Figure 1.1forms a transition. Note also the vertical striations which indicate theopening and closing of the vocal folds during phonation (voice). Thus, asound spectrogram is a unique and extremely valuable visual display of thefrequency and intensity changes caused by the ever-changing vocal-tractshapes in speech generated by movements of the articulators.Coarticulation Although rates of speech as high as 18 sounds per second are not uncom-mon, the average rate of normal speech is about 12.5 sounds per second.But even 12.5 sounds per second seems improbable because none of thearticulators can move in excess of about 8 times per second. The explana-tion for this discrepancy comes from research which suggests that speech isneither neurally programmed nor produced on a sound-by-sound basis. Speech science has shown that the speech mechanism generates differ-ent movement patterns for a given sound, depending on what particularsounds precede and follow it. For example, the articulators anticipatefollowing sounds by moving toward or into vocal-tract shapes neces-sary for the production of sounds yet to come. Say the words SCREAMFigure 1.2

4 Introductionand SCREW in a slow and deliberate manner. This allows you to noticehow your lips perform the fourth sound in each sequencethe vowel /i/in SCREAM and the vowel /u/ in SCREW, before the first sound, /s/, isinitiated. The accompanying spectrograms illustrate the essential featureof normal speech referred to as coarticulation. The upper part of Figure 1.2 is a visual representation of the 17 soundsof the phrase elements of stuttering when said normally, which can beproduced in less than one second. The lower part of Figure 1.2 shows thatit takes nearly twice as long to say only the 7 vowels in this phrase, whenthey are said separately and as rapidly as possible by the same speakerafter considerable practice. Figure 1.3 illustrates a less complex example. Note that it takes nolonger to say the six sounds of behold than to say only its 2 vowels asrapidly as possible after considerable practice. Figure 1.4 illustrates howthe 6 sounds of behold can be said in the same amount of time as it takesto say the 2 vowels separately. In schematic form, Figure 1.4 illustrates theoverlapping, or coarticulation, or adjacent sounds. Spectrographic examples such as the foregoing offer support for view-Figure 1.3ing speech as a series of vowel sounds that are initiated, interconnected,and terminated by superimposed or overlapping consonants. Viewingspeech in such a manner takes into account the structure and the attach-ments of the articulators, for examplethe tonguewhich is in con-tinuous motion during speech. Because of its external and internal musclesystems, the tongue is capable of doing different things simultaneously.The shapes of the tip, blade, and dorsum of the tongue can be individuallyaltered so as to contribute simultaneously to vocal-tract shapes necessary

Introduction 5Figure 1.4for producing consonants as well as vowels, a basic factor underlying thecoarticulation of speech sounds. Along with other articulators, the struc-ture and attachments of the tongue allow certain parts of it to be involvedin producing one sound while, at the same time, other parts either lagbehind because of the preceding sounds, or move toward and into vocal-tract shapes for sounds yet to come. Courtney Stromsta receiving his Ph.D. Graduation Day at Ohio State University

At an IALP Banquet overseas.

Chapter II Stuttering Defined T he availability of visible speech in the early 1950s allowedspectrographic analysis of speech disruptions exhibited for less than sixmonths by preschool children labeled as stutterers by their parents. Theanalyses were then related to the fluency of the children ten years later. The results indicated that repetitions marked by (1) within-soundor within-syllable disruptions, and (2) abnormal arrests of adequatelyinitiated phonation (vocal cord production of sounds), both of whichwere significantly related to stuttering in the same children ten years later.The foregoing repetitions involved sudden disruption of sounds withintheir normally expected durations. This distinction we call intraphonemicdisruption. Such disruptions generally occur within vowels, resulting inpart-sound or part-syllable repetitions. Before proceeding, we must make clear the Intraphonemic disruptionsudden concept of the intropho- disruption of sounds within their nemic disruption which normally expected durations we define as the core of stuttering behavior. The sound spec-trogram shown in Figure 2.1 illustrates the core behavior of stutter-ing on the I (personal pronoun) or eye (visual organ). Theinitial repetitions involved adequate initiation of phonation (vocal cordactivity), as shown by the vertical striations. Note that phonation isarrested within the expected duration of /a/. As a result, the repetitions showan absence of transition, indicating lack of, or faulty, coarticulation, as if thefollowing sound was not anticipated and prepared for. In constrast, preschool children labeled as stutterers by their parents,whose whole-sound, whole-syllable, or whole-word repetitions did not involve 7

8 Stuttering DefinedFigure 2.1intraphonemic disruptions were, with high probability, not exhibitingeither the core behavior or the complicating behaviors of stuttering tenyears later. Repetitions of this nature represent nonfluency in comparison to thepart-sound part-syllable repetitions of the core behavior of stuttering.Spectrographic examples of nonfluency, the type of speech disruptionsthat does not indicate a prognosis of stuttering, follow.Figure 2.2

Stuttering Defined 9Examples of Nonfluency Figure 2.2 is a sound spectrogram of a three year, six month old girllabeled as a stutterer because of excessive repetitions. Here she repeats theword I /ai / three times in attempting to say I WANNA SAY. In each initialI, frequency shift or transition occurs, as indicated by (T), showing thatthe repetitions were whole-word utterances. Whereas the initial I in eachpair of repetitions was an isolated word, the second I of each pair wasinfluenced by the following sounds. Evidence of airflow at the termina-tion of repetitions is indicated by (A). Preschool children judged not to bestuttering ten years later showed evidence of airflow through the speechmechanism between their whole-sound, whole-syllable, or whole-wordrepetitions. Repetitions of this nature indicated normalization of speech,with or without therapy, typically by the age of six years. The sound spectrogram shown in Figure 2.3 displays whole-sound rep-etitions of a four year, five month old boy labeled as a stutterer attemptingto say WIN. Because W is actually /u/ blended into the following vowel,transitions shown by (T) in the repetitions indicate they were whole-soundrepetitions of the diphthong /ui / preceding the utterance of WIN. Evidenceof airflow at the termination of the repetitions is indicated by (A). As inFigure 2.3the previous example, repetitions of this nature indicated normalization ofspeech, with or without therapy, typically by the age of six years.

10 Stuttering Defined Following are spectrographic illustrations of intraphonemic disruptions,the type of speech pattern that indicates a prognosis of stuttering.Examples of Core Stuttering Figure 2.4 is a sound spectrogram that displays a four year six monthold boy (labeled as a stutterer), attempting to say APPLE. His first twoattempts resulted in arrests of phonation without evidence of airflow attheir termination. Preschool children judged to be stuttering ten yearslater characteristically did not show evidence of breathstream at the ter-mination of their repetitions. This childs intraphonemic disruptions of /ae/Figure 2.4caused both attempts to be of shorter duration than the third /ae a/, whichshowed a deflection of frequencies as evidence of normal transition to thefollowing /p/. Repetitions of this nature were related to the child beingjudged as stuttering ten years later, even with therapy. The attempt of a four year eight month old boy labeled as a stutterer tosay ICE CREAM is shown in Figure 2.5. His first two attempts to utter thediphthong /ai/ of ICE were disrupted within the normal duration of /a/. Inother words, /a/ did not last long enough for a transition to be made into/I/, giving rise to the intraphonemic disruption symbolized by /a/. Airflowbetween repetitions was not in evidence. As with the previous example,repetitions of this nature were related to the stuttering of the child tenyears later, even with therapy.

Stuttering Defined 11Figure 2.5Reactions to Core Stuttering During this longitudinal study, preschool children who exhibited intra-phonemic disruptions were observed to initiate a typical progression ofreactionscomplicating behaviors, secondary symptoms, call them whatyou maywithin about six months after exhibiting their unique repeti-tions. Along with core repetitions, the progression of reactions involvedfixed or static positions of the speech mechanism. The first reaction wasprolongations of initial sounds marked by normal initiation of voiced orvoiceless breathstream. As pointed out earlier, the core behavior of stuttering involved disrup-tion of adequately initiated sounds WITHIN their usual duration. On theother hand, the progression of reactions to core stuttering involved fixedpositions of the speech mechanism that exceeded the usual or normaldurations of the involved sounds. In the case of prolonged voiced or voice-less stop plosives /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/ and affricatives /t, 3/, the vocaltract was not completely blocked, allowing passage of voiced or voicelessbreathstream, for example, BOBBY. Later, along with increased struggle and force, prolongations ofnormally initiated voiced stops and affricatives were arrested afterabout one-third of a second. Such complete arrests were apparentlycaused by complete blockage of voiced breathstream through thespeech mechanism. Stutterers and nonstutterers can appreciate this effect of completearrest of phonation (voice) by tightly pressing your lips together, com-pletely pinching off your nostrils, and then trying to maintain phonationas you prolong /b/ or /d/ or /g/. Doing so arrests phonation after aboutone-third of a second as found in young stutters when articulatory occlu-

12 Stuttering Definedsions occurred in association with struggle and force in their developmentof reactions to core stuttering - intraphonemic disruptions.Examples of Reactions to Core Stuttering Figure 2.6 is a display of the same child shown in Figure 2.5 but recordedseven months after originally seen. At this point the childs speech wascharacterized by prolongations of initial sounds, an example of which isFigure 2.6Figure 2.7

Stuttering Defined 13shown as the child saying RAINING as //u/-u ueinn/.There was no evidence of struggle or force or trouble initiating voiced orvoiceless airflow in his speech attempts. Figure 2.7 shows the same child shown in Figures 2.5 and 2.6, recorded13 months after originally seen, at which time it took him 13 seconds to saythe word INDIAN. At this latter time, struggle and force were first in evi-dence, as were prolongations of initial sounds, marked (P), intraphonemicdisruptionsthe core behavior of stutteringmarked (ID), and inabilityto initiate phonation, marked (XP). The same child recorded 2 years and 10 months after originally seenshowed inability to initiate either voiced or voiceless airstream, resultingin tonic blocks, that is, complete stoppages of speech. Release from suchstatic positions took the form of repeated unphonated initial sounds,shown in Figure 2.8 as he said I LIKE.Figure 2.8 At the same time, extreme forms of struggle and force were in evidence,as shown by the high-level intensity prolongations of /s/ in Figure 2.9, asthe child attempted to say SCRATCH YOU as /skaetu/. In their early stage of development, sustained forceful blockages weregenerally released after one or two seconds and then reformed again oneto several times before successful utterance. Later in development, thesustained occlusions for voiced stops and affricatives were maintained forlonger durations, sometimes several seconds before successful utterance.It was during this stage of development of reactions to the core behaviorof stuttering that prolongations of voiced and voiceless stops and affrica-

14 Stuttering DefinedFigure 2.9tives were observed to be arrested by complete blockage of breathstreamthrough the speech mechanism. Arrests of adequately initiated prolongations of both voiced and voice-less stops and affricatives were followed by the onset of abnormal initia-tions of voiced and voiceless breathstream for stops and affricatives aswell as for phonemes not requiring momentary articulatory occlusion.For the most part, it was only at this stage of development of reactionsto core stuttering that analysis of recordings of stuttering and nonstut-tering children revealed aberrations of onsets of phonation in stutterers.Intermingled with the advent of difficulty and/or inability in initiatingvoiced and voiceless breathstream was the onset of the myriad of differingcomplicating behaviors commonly referred to as secondary symptoms oraccessory features of stuttering. Working at his desk in the 1960s in Columbus, OH.

Chapter III Management of Stuttering T herapy for stuttering can be simplified. It is accomplished byanalyzing what the speaker is doing incorrectly and by strengthening whathas to be done to normalize speech production within the limits of each individual. Doing so simplifies the problem Therapy for stuttering can be and leads to its allevia- simplified tion among stutterers. Specifying the core behavior of stuttering aswithin-sound or within-syllable disruption leaves little to ones imagina-tion. Realizing that most of what is generally called stuttering are reactionsto core stuttering points out the necessity of managing the core behavior.Whereas all who stutter cannot be expected to comprehend the subjectmatter of this booklet, they can be expected to accomplish what therapyhas to offer if organized by those who do understand this material.Procedures in Therapy The following procedures have been segmented to emphasize theirsequence and to organize their discussion. Doing so does not mean thateach phase should be completed before those that follow it. The objectiveof therapy should be to integrate the various issues into a meaningful andproductive end product. 15

16 Management of Stuttering Phase One A practical first step in therapy is to understand the limitations of ourpresently held knowledge about speech. Recognizing the limits of informa-tion about speech puts to rest many unanswerable questions that plaguethe minds of stutterers, questions that otherwise often serve as deterrentsto progress in therapy. If such a discussion is not practical in this or anyother phase of therapy because of age or lack of capacity to intellectual-ize it, appreciating the limits of information about speech should at leastinfluence the thinking and procedures used by therapists. Stutterers as well as therapists should realize that no matter how sim-ply one tries to explain and describe the process of speaking, researchhas shown its unbounded complexity. What must be realized is that thevarious systems of the body which collectively and synchronously gener-ate speech are in some manner directed, monitored, and controlled by anestimated 140,000 neural events every second and that our presently heldinformation about neurophysiology is still in its infant stage. Whereasmeanings of words are reasonably thought to be acquired by associativelearning, how humans acquire their competence for speaking cannot beaccounted for by presently held learning theories. Recognition of this dilemma has led to the proposal that the basiccompetence for speech is a capacity possessed by mankind at birth.Conceivably we possess a predisposition for speech, a genetic endowmentfor a complex instinctual behavior that with subsequent maturation andenvironmental exposure, generally manifests itself at a certain level ofneuromuscular development. Thus speech, as we know it, has been termedan automatism, that is, a motor behavior integrated and controlled at asubconscious level, such as walking, swallowing, and respiration. Whereassuch motor behaviors can be modified within certain limitsan importantpoint to be considered in therapyfor the most part they occur withoutawareness or understanding on our part. Recognizing that the complexity of speech is not understood has animportant implication in therapy. The point is that therapists and stutter-ers are led to entertain the possibility that we are programmed for speechand that whereas most people speak within an acceptable range, somespeak better and some less well. With such information, stutterers eventually perceive that they mustaccept what they have in terms of a personal speech program and attemptto modify it by using, to their best advantage, factual information that iscurrently available. Appreciating the complexity of speech and how farwe still have to go in terms of understanding it serves to establish real-istic limits as to what stutterers can expect of clinical procedures. Asa result, stutterers eventually respect and place a premium on clinicalprocedures that strengthen basic behaviors related to normal speechand which can be expected to alleviate their stuttering as well as the

Management of Stuttering 17complicating behaviors that unalleviated stuttering serves to gener-ate. Thus, this initial phase of therapy forms a basis for informed actionrather than uninformed reaction or lack of action that stems from wishful thinking and miscon- ceptions about the Informed action rather than speech process. Even uninformed reaction though it is highly rel- evant, this initial phase of therapy need not beover done. Its purpose is to serve as a preface for a discussion of whatis known about the elements of normal speech production, somethingagainst which stutterers need to compare their own stuttering. Phase Two If appropriately based on age and/or capacity to intellectualize it, adiscussion of the basic elements of normal speech is of importance forstutterers eventual understanding of the core behavior of stuttering.Pointing out that speech is a physical event serves to preface the mainissues to be stressed in the second phase of therapy: (1) that normalspeech production is characterized by continual movement of the speechmechanism, and (2) that the continual movement of the speech mecha-nism involves anticipation of and actual physical preparation for soundsthat follow the initial sounds of syllables or words. Appreciation of these important features of normal speech can be devel-oped further by using material cited earlier. For example, discussing theproduction of I /ai / points out the necessity of movement involved in theblending of the two sounds. It also presents an opportunity to introducethe importance of using phonetic symbols to represent sounds of speech inplace of the nonproductive use of letter from our written alphabet. Use ofexamples and sound spectrograms such as Figures 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4 serveto impress upon them the variability of coarticulation in normal speechproduction. Realizing that the 18 sounds of the phrase elements of stutteringcan be said in half the time it takes to produce only seven of its soundsin isolation provides unquestionable evidence concerning the necessity ofcoarticulating sounds in normal speech. Therapists should emphasize this second phase of therapy during theirinitial sessions with stutterers. Our experience has been that most stut-terers acquire the basic idea about coarticulation and its importance inspeech production in less time than would be expected. Nonetheless, thisconcept, as well as others to be discussed, should be elaborated upon asthe need arises throughout the course of therapy. The purpose and need for this second phase of therapy relates to thefact that many authors, and hence many therapists, stress that stutter-ers should be objective about their stuttering. The fact is that most

18 Management of Stutteringstutterers never do figure out what therapists mean by that statement.However, the advice is reasonable, but only if stutterers first becomeobjective about speech in general by knowing something practical aboutit, and then only if stutterers develop a practical definition of stuttering.The latter topic serves as the focal point in the third phase of therapy. Phase Three The degree to which stutterers can recognize the core behavior ofstuttering is of prime importance to therapy. The more practical their per-sonally held definition of stuttering and the more logical their expectationof what to do about it, the more probable are their chances of unravelingwhat to them is the complexity of their problem. Stutterers must recognizeand systematize the components of their problem of stuttering if commonsense is to prevail. After initially discussing what is known about speech in general, a prac-tical way to introduce the recognition of the core behavior of stuttering isto wait until an example of it occurs in the clients speech. While disregard-ing all complicating behaviors, when an intraphonemic disruption occurs, thetherapist should judiciously interrupt and ask What just happened inyour speech? Commonplace responses are, Nothing, or I dont know.Therapists should prepare the client for further interruptions and repeatthe question when other intraphonemic disruptions occur. This simpleprocedure serves to swing the stutterers attention away from the myriadof usually involved complicating behaviors and brings into focus the factthat basic features of normal speech production are being violated in thecore behavior of stuttering, namely, faulty coarticulation, resulting inabnormal terminations of adequately initiated phonation. Use of examples and spectrograms included Basic features of normal speech in Chapter Two help production are being violated in the stutterers understand core behavior of stutteringfaulty what to become aware coarticulation of in their speech, but equally impor- tant, what to disre-gard. It is at this point in therapy that many therapists use audioand video recorders, yet it has been our experience that analy-sis is best done in real time, in other words, as the instances ofstuttering occur. It is also at this time that use of phonetic symbols torepresent speech production can be reinforced again as a potentiallyuseful and productive tool. An efficient way to begin the identification and analysis of intraphone-mic disruptions is to use simple examples as they occur in the stutterersspeech. Most stutterers display such disruptions on the often used

Management of Stuttering 19personal pronoun I /ai /. When such disruptions occur, the therapistshould ask the client, How many sounds are in the word I? The usualanswer is, One, which is in fact what they are producingonly abbre-viated versions of the first sound without anticipation of what follows.Have the client say the word I slowly. While so doing, many make theimportant discovery that I actually has two sounds. Have them saythe two sounds in isolation. Have them prepare for the second soundprior to blending the two sounds together deliberately and smoothly. Showthem Figure 1.1 which displays the two sounds blended slowly (left) andnormally (right). The procedure serves to emphasize that letters usedto write words and sounds used to utter letters are grossly and importantlydifferent. Those who do not readily recognize this basic difference mustbe helped in doing so. Whatever the case may be, identifying the corebehavior of stuttering early in therapy serves an important function. For one thing, stutterers quickly realize that, based on correct informa-tion, they can utter words successfully even when the words are fearedand when they anticipate stuttering. It also provides an initial opportunityto point out the difference between stuttering and the uselessness of reac-tions to stuttering which take the form of complicating behaviors thatmake successful utterances improbable if not impossible. To further thestutterers appreciating of the uselessness of complicating behaviors, pointout that research has shown that such reactions are not present whenchildren first exhibit stuttering; that if basic stuttering persists in children,they eventually develop prolongations of sounds, then complete stoppagesof speech, and eventually difficulty in initiating phonation; and that theselatter reactions, in turn, give rise to other useless behaviors that furthercomplicate the speech and lives of stutterers. Discussing complicating behaviors early in therapy is not for thepurpose of analyzing them. Why analyze something that serves no usefulpurpose? In contrast, the purpose is merely to clarify that complicatingbehaviors develop because basic stuttering is not recognized and thatsomething constructive has not been done about it. This lack of under-standing and lack of positive action generates confusion, apprehension,and tensions that instigate uninformed reactions. It helps to point out some-thing important: that stutterers as well as therapists make the mistake ofregarding as important only the gross and therefore more apparent com-plicating behaviors that serve to characterize ill-fated speech attempts. Indoing so, they fail to realize the importance of the basic and less frequentintraphonemic disruptions that either are not recognized, or, if recognized,are minimized in importance as something not to be concerned about. Pointout that intraphonemic disruptions occur less frequently only because complicatingbehaviors develop so as to minimize the occurrence of intraphonemic disruptions. It follows that stutterers should prepare for the eventuality of anincrease in basic stuttering as complicating behaviors are decreased.It should be made logical that such an increase in basic stuttering is to be

20 Management of Stutteringexpected at this stage of therapy. The increase of basic stuttering providesthe material needed for stutterers to identify and systematize their disrup-tions, an important step toward strengthening behavioral patterns relatedto the alleviation of stuttering. Before discussing alleviation of stuttering, it should be pointed out thatstutterers differ as to what it takes for them to discriminate and appreciatethe difference between their basic stuttering and their reactions to stutter-ing that take the form of complicating behaviors. Early in therapy, stut-terers exhibit a confounding mixture of basic stuttering and reactions tostuttering. Many stutterers require only a minimal amount of analyzingand systematizing their stuttering in order to differentiate their intrap-honemic disruptions from their complicating behaviors and to realize therole of faulty coarticulation in their basic disruptions. Others find the taskmore difficult. Whatever the case may be, recognition of numerous anddiffering examples of intraphonemic disruptions help in planning theirsystematic alleviation. A practical way of doing this is based on statistics oflanguage. If the minimal unit of speech is taken to be the syllable, surveyshave shown that, where C = consonant and V = vowel: 1. about 60% of all we say are syllables in which consonants are used to initiate vowelsCVC, CV, CVCC, 2. about 25% of all we say are syllables in which initial vowels are terminated by consonantsVC, VCC, 3. about 10% of all we say are syllables composed of blended vowelsVV, and, 4. about 5% of all we say are syllables in which vowels are initiated by blends or clusters of consonantsCCVC, CCV, CCVCC. Since the loci of intraphonemic disruptions vary in different syllables,knowledge of the foregoing statistics provides a basis for instances ofintraphonemic disruptions to be at least initially categorized as to the typeof syllable in which they occur, this in place of their remaining little morethan a disorganized collection of events. It is sufficient for many stutterersthat their basic stuttering be only superficially analyzed and systematized,while, at the same time, completely disregarding their complicating behav-iors. For those who find the task difficult, Appendix B lists common intra-phonemic disruptions (stuttering) and complicating behaviors (reactionsto stuttering) associated with various categories of syllables. The third phase of therapy involves still another factor. If not attended to,the issue of nonfluency serves to confound this phase of therapy, which is aimedat answering the question, What is stuttering? If left undefined and misun-derstood, use of the term nonfluency by those interested in stuttering does moreto muddy the waters of recognizing and understanding stuttering than anyother one factor, with the possible exception of those who would place stutter-ing entirely within the province of psychology and psychiatry. It is important that stutterers recognize that many of their reactions totheir dysfluencies take the form of nonfluencies used to minimize the pres-ence of intraphonemic disruptions. It should be emphasized that whereas

Management of Stuttering 21normal speakers attempt to be fluent, few if any attain their goal. In otherwords, normal impromptu speech is characterized by various degrees ofnonfluency. Therefore, the point is not that stutterers should expect theirspeech to be free of nonfluencies. Rather, stutterers should realize that nonfluencies, if unrec- ognized for what they Normal impromptu speech is are and what purpose characterized by various degrees they actually serve, can confound their ability of nonfluency to isolate and analyze intraphonemic disrup- tions. Anyone who takesthe time to observe the role of nonfluencies in the everyday impromptuspeech of others will soon appreciate how nonfluencies make normalspeech as well as stuttering more complex than it has to be. Phase Four The fourth phase of therapy is an extension of the third phase.Separating it emphasizes its importance. Being able to discriminatethe core behavior of stuttering from complicating behaviors caused byuninformed reactions, leads one to question what can be done about basicstuttering. Constructive action involves bridging the gap between facts aboutstuttering and facts about normal motor speech. A practical way of bridg-ing this gap is to establish the percentage of speech in which a stuttereractually stutters, that is, exhibits intraphonemic disruptions. Stutterershave the tendency to exaggerate the percentage. They continue to exag-gerate this percentage until they can identify their complicating behavior,among which are nonfluencies, and separate them from their basic stutter-ing. A way of calculating the percentage of core stuttering is to count thetotal number of syllables spoken and divide it into the number of syllablesin which intraphonemic disruptions occur. Tape recorded samples servethis purpose well. Repeating the procedure in several sessions and underdiffering conditions provides a reasonable estimate of the percentage ofspeech in which core stuttering occurs. Such estimates indicate that stutterers actually stutter in somewherebetween 5% and 25% of their speech. Most stutterers fail to realize thattheir speech falls within the broad limits of normal speech anywhere from75% to 95% of the time. Such knowledge can serve as proof that in largemeasure stutterers possess the program for normal speech. Meanwhile,having analyzed and systematized their intraphonemic disruptions asthey do in their third phase of therapy, stutterers will recognize that theirdisruptions involve faulty coarticulation of particular syllables andsound combinations more than others. Equally important, the process of

22 Management of Stutteringanalyzing and systematizing bears out the fact that their intraphonemicdisruptions are inconsistent. In other words, the process of separating complicating behaviors from core stuttering Stutterers possess the program for shows that stutterers normal speech have the program for normal speech even for the percentage of theirspeech that is most consistently at fault. The foregoing issues and procedures serve to simplify the problemof stuttering. Isolating and understanding what constitutes the corebehavior of stuttering breaks down the complexity of the problem ofstuttering into elements that for the first time appear manageable.However, knowing what one is doing as compared to what one should bedoing is not enough. How to manage the difference is the issue taken upin the next phase of therapy. Phase Five The fifth phase of therapy is developed from the fact that the core behav-ior of stuttering is inconsistent. In other words, stutterers have the pro-gram for normal speech even for the small percentage of their speech thatis dysfluent. The inconsistent dysfluenciesintraphonemic disruptions are due to incorrect coarticulation of speech When correctly coarticulated, sounds and arrests of arrests of phonation do not occur. adequately initiated phonation. The same syllables or words whenuttered without dysfluency are correctly coarticulated. When correctlycoarticulated, arrests of phonation do not occur. When asked how someone should go about improving motor behav-iors other than speech, many stutterers are capable of figuring out acommon sense approach to alleviating the core behavior of their stut-tering. In essence, the procedure is simple. What is needed is practicethat strengthens the desirable behavior (that which you do acceptablywell most of the time) to the point that it competes with and eventuallydisplaces the undesirable behavior (that which you do unacceptablysome of the time). Practicing what is correct is so obviously therapeuticthat it is generally ignored. An important part of the therapeutic procedure is to practice andstrengthen coarticulation when not stuttering. This approach is in contrastto the tendency of stutterers to wait until dysfluency occurs before try-ing to do something about it, a procedure not in line with common sense.Winning football teams practice much more than they actually play. They

Management of Stuttering 23do not wait for actual games to correct errors in fundamental procedures.Rather, they practice so as to strengthen correct and productive behav-iors to the point that they are predictable under the stresses inherent inactual games. Professional golfers work out inadequacies of their golfswings on practice ranges by correctly blending or coarticulating thesegments of their swing during hours of practice rather than waiting forinadequate shots to appear during tournament play. Downhill skiers prac-tice fundamentals so as to perfect complex blending of body movementsas they anticipate and prepare for the shifting of weight on their skiisbefore expecting such maneuvers to occur reflexively for the purpose ofsurvival during tortuous downhill runs. So it is with fly-casting, keyboard-ing, knitting, working a loom, or any other motor behavior that we hopeto improve. Waiting for inadequate performance to occur before doingsomething about it turns out to be an inefficient approach. Knowing whatone must do for adequate performance is the basis for intelligence practice,resulting in skillful execution that minimizes inadequacies. A method that simplifies practice of skills related to alleviating intra-phonemic disruptions is based on anticipating and actually preparing forthe second sound of the syllable to be uttered. When prepared for thesecond sound, stutterers should make the first sound as a strong voluntarymovement into and through the following sounds. As mentioned previ-ously, even though speech is an automatism, one can voluntarily modifyit within certain limits. As it is with ones attempts to change any motoricbehavior, anticipating and preparing for the second sound of each wordto be uttered and producing the first sound as a deliberate strong smoothmovement into and through the following sounds seems strange anddifficult when first attempted. A good way to start is as follows: 1. Prepare for the second sound and say it aloud so both the stutterer and the therapist can verify that it is the appropriate sound, 2. When verified as correct, say the second sound aloud again and maintain the assumed posture of the speech mechanism, 3. Produce the first sound as a deliberate strong smooth movement into and through the following sounds. Following the foregoing procedure on the beginning of every word dur-ing therapy sessions, as well as in other periods of time each day as mate-rial is read aloud, serves to establish the pattern. However, certain thingsshould be kept in mind as one begins this procedure of strengtheningcoarticulation. Telling stutterers to be deliberate in their early attempts isoften misinterpreted as meaning do it slowly. Slow speech or rate con-trol should not be the object of this procedure. Each individual, as he orshe begins this procedure, should do it at a pace that allows mastery ofthe procedure. It should also be pointed out that deliberateness involvedin the initial stage of developing the procedure tends to cause distortionof many speech sounds. This is to be expected. Research has shown thattransitions between speech sounds are of relatively equal duration at vari-

24 Management of Stutteringous rates of speech. It should also be appreciated that in producing thefirst sound, in many instances, one will alter the posture assumed for thesecond sound. However, in such cases, a plan has been established, andone knows where he or she is going as movement is made from the firstsound to those that follow it. As it is in normal speech, which is charac-terized by coarticulation, anticipation of and preparation for the secondsound will also affect how the first sound is produced. Making the movements deliberate provides the time needed for the vol-untary control of the speech process. Making the movements strong andsmooth strengthens the motor behavior patterns of coarticulating speechsounds. During the early stages of developing the procedure, concern is often expressed by stut- terers as to whether or Develop and strengthen the pattern of not the procedure will coarticulation result in their learn- ing to habitually speak slowly and forcefully.Stutterers can rest assured that their speech will speed up reflexively alltoo soon. Their concern should involve being deliberate in their speechlong enough to develop and strengthen the pattern of coarticulation thatwill eventually alleviate their intraphonemic disruptions. While continuing to strengthen coarticulation on every word, one cansense when the procedure is becoming established. It takes progressivelyless time as well as less mental and physical effort to do it correctly. Oneshould resist the urge to cut short this initial stage of understanding anddeliberate application of the concept of coarticulation to every word.When the procedure is established for the beginning of every word, theroutine should be varied. Self-discipline and self control can be developedpracticing the procedure on the first of every two words, later, on the firstof every three words, later, on the first of every four words, and so on.As the client works through this progression, he or she should continueto make the movement from the first sound into and through the antici-pated and prepared-for second sound strong and deliberate, but say whatfollows as naturally as possible. Again, the objective is not slow speechor rate control. Rather, the objective is to strengthen coarticulationthrough practice so as to reduce part-sound or part-syllable repetitionscharacterized by intraphonemic disruptions which, if not alleviated,generate prolongations, tonic blocks, difficulty initiating voiced and voice-less breathstream as well as the myriad of other complicating behaviorsexhibited by most advanced stage stutterers. What and when to practice What to practice and when to practice are natural concerns of stut-terers. As mentioned earlier, clients should begin by using the procedure

Management of Stuttering 25extensively in therapy sessions where the correctness of what is beingpracticed can be monitored by others. Classifying intraphonemic disrup-tions as discussed in Phase Three allows stutterers to determine on whichtypes of syllables to concentrate their practice. Stutterers should notetheir failures during practice, so as to identify and analyze the loci of theinvolved intraphonemic disruptions. At this point, it should be noted thatwhereas preparing for the second sound is generally sufficient, preparingfor correct coarticulation is sometimes more involved. For example, in theword court /krt/, preparing for the // can result in its disruption because/r/ is not coarticulated. In such a case, anticipation of and preparation forthe third sound is necessary to alleviate the disruption of //. When to practice, other than in therapy sessions, is a decision that mustultimately be made by the client. A minimum of three practice sessionseach day are recommended; more sessions are better. Scheduling practicesessions to coincide with routine daily activities such as mealtimes, lunchbreaks or going to and from work or school has definite advantages.Unscheduled practice or entertaining the idea that one will practice mostof the day generally leads to little or no practice. Scheduled practice ses-sions of reasonable duration are manageable and force the client to assesswhether or not practice has actually taken place, and if so, did it accom-plish whatever objective was planned. Practice sessions interspersedthroughout the day lead to a progressive spread or generalization of thepracticed activity into periods that precede and follow the sessions. As one becomes increasingly familiar with preparing for the secondsound and moving into it, the procedure becomes second nature, that is,it occurs more spontaneously, with a minimum of conscious effort. Thisprobably stems from the fact that such practice strengthens an innate nat-ural feature of normal speech. Whatever the case may be, the procedure,with practice, adapts itself progressively to use in everyday conversation. Many stutterers fail to appreciate that they can afford to speak in a deliber-ate manner so as to emphasize the articulation of their utterances. Stutterersshould realize that hesitations or pausesa common commodity in normalconversational speechcan be used to their advantage in planning and exe-cuting coarticulation. It has been shown that most listeners prefer to listen tospeakers who speak slowly and use more and longer pauses. The point of the matter is that however stutterers finally ratio- Practice when not stuttering nale their way of practic- ing coarticulation, such practice is the price they must pay for ultimatelyalleviating their intraphonemic disruptions, the core behavior of stuttering.Let it be emphasized again, stutterers should not wait for stuttering to occurto do something about it, they should practice when not stuttering.

26 Management of Stuttering Stutterers vary as to the amount of practice necessary before alleviationof intraphonemic disruptions begins to occur in their everyday speech. Forsome, knowing about, experimenting with, and understanding the impor-tance of coarticulation serves to trigger an almost immediate applicationof it in their everyday speech, along with a drastic reduction of their com-plicating, or secondary, behaviors. Others need to continue their evalua-tion and trial use of the procedure in light of additional phases of therapynow to be discussed. Phase Six The objective of the sixth phase of therapy is to prepare stutterers forthe effects of emotion on their attitude and motivation in doing what ittakes to alleviate their stuttering in the rigors of real life. In brief, any setof conditions viewed as critical to our well being serves to generate a setof definable internal bodily changes. Such changes are natural and there-fore should be accepted as normal. In effect, such internal bodily changesproduce a storehouse of available neuromuscular potential or energyneeded for effectively dealing with whatever confronts us as imminentlyimportant. What we refer to as emotion is our sensory awareness of bodilychanges necessary for and by which accomplishment can emerge. How welabel our naturally occurring internal bodily changes is an important issueto consider. Unfortunately, labels such as nervousness, fear, anxiety,and tension are commonly applied and generally indicate undesirablefeelings. How stutterers label and react to their awareness of their inter-nal bodily changes is an important matter to evaluate early in therapy. Inadequate handling of disturbing conditions such as stuttering, dueto incorrect information and lack of related skills, predictably leads todissatisfaction and ultimate demoralization; negative feelings and valuesare associated with the accompanying bodily changes. On the other hand,adequate handling of disturbing conditions such as stuttering, based oncorrect information and related know-how, eventually leads to self-sat-isfaction and confidence; positive feelings and values are associated withthe accompanying internal bodily changes that generally decrease as afunction of progress. In other words, whereas disturbing conditions arousepredictable internal bodily changes, ones perspective and attitude aboutour awareness of such bodily changes depends on whether they respondwith inadequate or adequate behavior. As one would expect, stutterers vary as to their need for evaluating theeffects of emotion on their attitude and motivation in doing what it takesto alleviate their stuttering. Many stutterers enter therapy with only aneed for valid information about what constitutes stuttering and what inspecific terms should be done about it. With such information, they quick-ly develop related skills and make rapid and stable progress in alleviationof their stutteringeven in the face of emotional arousal. Others enter

Management of Stuttering 27therapy with the notion that they should first reduce their nervous-ness and anxiety as well as their inferiority. Their idea seems to be thatwith reduction of such feelings, their stuttering will disappear. They failto realize that not understanding what constitutes stuttering and notbeing able to cope with it has served to generate emotion to which theyhave attached very negative feelings and labels. Although all stutterersprofit by evaluating the role and value of emotion, it is the latter groupthat profits most by it. Until they evaluate and appreciate the purposeand positive value of internal bodily changes, attempts to change theirbehavior are generally ineffective and unstable. Because they have strong negative feelings to their surges of emotion,some stutterers cannot deal with their stuttering simply by isolating it,evaluating its consequences, and then changing it. Substituting appropri-ate for inappropriate behavior constitutes a new and untested experiencewhich generates uncertainty and insecurity. The accompanying internalbodily changes are felt as surges of nervousness, anxiety, and so forth, feel-ings which they mistakenly assume to be their basic problem. For them,the emotion that accompanies each attempt to change behavior becomes asignal that something is wrong, even though to attempt the change seemsright. As a result, their emotional feelings drive them back into their oldingrained behaviors. Even though change is desired, the emotional feelingsof stutterers have the effect of offering them mainly two alternatives, eachof which is threatening or undesirable: (a) their inconsistent inadequatebehavior with its undesirable feelings, and (b) their changed behavior withits undesirable feelings. Until the conflict is resolved, the stutterer willvacillate between old and new behaviors; any gain gives rise to relapse.Resolution of this dilemma is best initiated by viewing one of the two alter-natives as being of greater long term positive benefit. Stutterers shouldbe helped to realize that assessing ones emotions in negative terms isgenerally due to lack of knowledge, which predictably leads to confusion,inadequate behavior, failure, and ultimately avoidance, all of which arecommon debilitating behaviors of stutterers. When viewed in negative terms, emotion can become excessive andserve to depress productive activity as well as generate complicatingbehaviors. The dread and demoralization associated with continual avoid-ance of fulfilling ones basic needs or failure to manage disturbing condi-tions forms a vicious circle with the surges of emotion that accompanysuch ineffectual behaviors. Under such conditions the surges of emotioneventually give rise to unwelcome feelings because they serve to signalimpending conditions thought of as unmanageable. With regard to stut-tering, rather than emotion causing stuttering as is often claimed in theliterature, emotion serves to generate and maintain complicating behaviorsbased on reactions to not understanding what constitutes stuttering andhow to manage it. Unfortunately, this describes the plight of too manystutterers. When they display evidence of the foregoing, they should

28 Management of Stutteringbe helped to understand that certain things serve to reduce or alleviateexcessive emotion. Holding valid information about what confronts us and preparingourselves in terms of how to deal with it are basic necessities for manag-ing any set of circumstances. It amounts to having something going forourselves, a factor shown in wartime studies to reduce the intensity ofinternal bodily changes under conditions of stress. Using biochemical indi-cators of stress, it was found that whereas most soldiers displayed strongsigns of stress before and during dangerous missions, some displayedsuch signs to a much lesser degrees. Those with less indications of stresshad something going for themselves. For example, one soldier had beena successful gambler because he knew and played the odds or probabili-ties of occurrence in games of chance. When confronted with involvement in a series of dangerous missions, he obtained Holding valid information about any information concerning the number of soldiers set of disturbing conditions makes involved in such mis- them less disturbing. sions and the number of casualties. His calcula- tions showed that theodds were against his becoming a casualty. The point of the matter is thatholding valid information about any set of disturbing conditions makesthem less disturbing and serves to lessen the intensity of the associatedinternal bodily changes that give rise to what we call emotion. To view emotion as normal and beneficial when labeled as nervousness,anxiety and so forth, comes as something foreign to most people. Perhapsthis kind of assessment is cultural, as could be the lifestyle of those peoplewho spend their lifetimes attempting to avoid their labeled emotionsthrough use of pills and mental mechanisms. Of interest is the fact that theliterature concerned with anxiety indicates that for certain people it servesto stimulate elevated performance, while for others it tends to inhibit ordepress performance. Such differences are also found among stutterers asthey engage themselves in therapy. Some with little more than basic infor-mation develop related skills and quickly and successfully alleviate theirstuttering, doing so even though experiencing surges of emotion labeledin fretful and anxious terms. With the same information, other stutterersprocrastinate over developing related skills. They attain skills and alleviatetheir stuttering only after evaluation and appreciation of their emotionalreactions in a positive rather than a negative manner. When so evaluated,the very thing that impedes can be used to promote progress. Stutterers must understand that emotion triggered by their concernand preoccupation regarding dysfluencies is normal and in effect preparesthem to deal with their inadequacy. Comprehending what must be doneto counteract stuttering and doing it effectively, progressively uses up the

Management of Stuttering 29neuromuscular potential or energy generated by internal bodily changesand perceived as emotion. As one uses the available potential for doingsomething effective, following events of a similar nature are perceived asless and less threatening. In other words, as stutterers acquire valid infor-mation, develop related skills, and apply them effectively, they becomeincreasingly confident about handling conditions previously evaluated andlabeled in negative terms and reacted to in the form of complicated self-defeating behaviors. By means of the preceding phase of therapy, stutterers attain the pointwhere, having recognized stuttering for what it actually is, practice andstrengthening of coarticulation is accepted as one of the more logicalapproaches to alleviation of stuttering. Using the procedure during therapy sessions serves to impress upon them that coartic- Coarticulation minimized and often ulation minimized and eradicates both their stuttering and often eradicates both their complicating or secondary their stuttering and their behaviors. complicating or second- ary behaviors. Most are amazed to find that doing something rela-tively simple prevents the diverse behaviors that they previously thoughtof as stuttering. Such a dramatic change in behavior can and usually doesoccur early in the course of therapy. However, strengthening the normalprocess of speech to the point that it occurs spontaneously in everydayspeech generally is directly related to (a) the degree to which one is will-ing to practice the procedure, (b) the degree to which one is accustomedto seeking and applying information in their attempt to resolve difficultconditions other than stuttering, and (c) the degree to which simulated aswell as real-life situations are incorporated into the therapeutic procedures.Including a progression of real-life speech situations during the course oftherapy provides stutterers with important emotional experiences associat-ed with decreasing instances of failure and increasing instances of success,the sum total of which initiates their needed emotional reeducation. Although practice in concentrated form takes place during the courseof therapy, stutterers must eventually practice deliberate coarticulationin everyday situations as well. Success emerges from working throughand analyzing the inevitable failures and partial failures which character-ize ones attempts to change ingrained attitudes and behaviors. With thegrowth of success comes a progressive lessening of the emotional arousalformerly associated with inadequate handling of stuttering and its atten-dant complicating behaviors. However, additional therapeutic proceduresmust be implemented to help those stutterers whose attempts to extendtheir success in therapy to real-life situations are thwarted by excessiveemotional arousal, developed because of past experiences involving fear

30 Management of Stutteringof failure, anticipated rejection by their listeners, and frustrations gener-ated by postponement and avoidance behaviors. They should be awarethat alleviation of stuttering often occurs during appreciable emotionalarousal, and that reduction of excessive emotional arousal comes as anend product of managing their problem. Working through hierarchies ofeasy-to-difficult situations is an important element in procedures aimedat reducing their inhibitions and fears. Having a therapist or fellowstutterers model in real-life conditions what is to be attempted by reluctantstutterers often serves as an impetus for them to attempt the same. Each stutterer must eventually take it upon him or herself to experi-ence success during the throes of emotional arousal by applying in real-life what they have developed and strengthened through practice andexperience in therapy. The eventual buildup of success in the presenceof emotional arousal is the root system of emotional adjustment. Withoutsuch emotional adjustment, stutterers remain continually susceptible toimpasse and relapse. Phase Seven The objective of the seventh phase of therapy is to deal with impasse(lack of progress) or relapse (loss of progress) in the attempts of stutter-ers to alleviate their stuttering. Stutterers to whom it applies must eventu-ally answer the question, What keeps you from doing what you say youaccept as the logical thing to be done if you want to alleviate your stutter-ing? This question is asked when there is reason to believe that a givenstutterer understands and has accepted as logical the concepts developedin the preceding phases of therapy. At least partial verification of theforegoing is indicated by the occurrence of impasse or relapse after theindividual has initiated the procedures and expressed satisfaction regard-ing having made progress in alleviation of their stuttering. One factor that can work against using a logical and common-sensicalapproach is the lingering hope in some stutterers that their stuttering willdisappear in some easy way if someone else does something about it, thatpills or sances will abolish their nervousness and with it their stutter-ing, or that someones instrument will do the trick. In comparison, doingsomething that involves personal effort and adjustment seems too much toexpect of themselves. Unfortunately, unrealistic hope for easy ways out of stuttering isfostered by claims of cures by those with commercial interests. Claimsof cures are generally based on the short-lived periods of fluency thatalmost any technique can produce. Meanwhile, periods of fluency mayrelate to nothing more than the fact that the core behavior of stutter-ing is known to be cyclic in both its occurrence and severity. However,most stutterers are uninformed about these matters and as such areeasy prey to those who proclaim easy ways out of stuttering. Stutterers

Management of Stuttering 31should appreciate that the clich you get nothing for nothing, alsoapplies to the alleviation of stuttering. Periods of fluencywith or without therapyare viewed mistakenlyby many stutterers as proof that they are normal speakers, a view thatproduces and maintains hope that their stuttering will disappear withoutpersonal involvement and effort. In place of this, their welfare is bet-ter served by viewing the inconsistency of their stuttering as proof onlythat they have the program for adequate speech, which, if strengthenedthrough understanding and practicing what must be done, will emergemore consistently and alleviate what they inconsistently do wrong inthe core behavior of stuttering. However, what some therapists as wellas stutterers usually lack are valid and meaningful definitions of normalspeech as well as stuttering, and thus what should be done is not under-stood. Recall the longitudinal study of preschool children mentionedearlier that showed those who exhibit intraphonemic disruptionsthecore behavior of stutteringcan expect to continue doing so unless theydo something specific to counteract them. Once stuttering has been alleviated, its predictable re-ocurrence shouldnot confuse or demoralize stutterers. Rather, it should serve merely as asignal for them to renew their efforts to counteract stuttering by practicingcoarticulation so as to strengthen specific aspects of the normal processof speech violated during stuttering. The point is that unrealistic hopeand preoccupation about ridding ones self of stuttering without personalinvolvement and effort interferes with the application of information aboutstuttering and results in impasse or relapse. On the other hand, applicationof information in the form of related skills has its way of transforming hopeinto action and uses the fuel of emotion to strengthen desired behaviorsthat counteract stuttering. Another factor related to impasse or relapse involves how stutterersrespond to reactions of their listeners. Listeners can be expected to reactto stuttering. This is so because (a) stuttering is uncommon and thereforeunexpected behavior, and (b) listeners do not understand what is happen-ingthey have nothing in their own behavior with which to compare it.Stutterers must realize that they themselves react to uncommon experi-ences they do not understand, including their own stuttering. How stutterers evaluate listener reactions is an important issue toexamine, particularly when impasse or relapse is in evidence. When askeddirectly how they react to stuttering, listeners give vague answers, thereason being that they do not know how to react to it and they therefore reactdifferently as a function of time and conditions. As to be expected, howthey react to stuttering causes internal bodily changes in listeners, and,as a natural consequence, listeners experience various emotions. Withoutinformation they are prone to react in reflexive and sometimes primitivemanners.

32 Management of Stuttering Understanding and accepting the fact that they are responsible for thereactions of their listeners is an important insight to be gained by stutter-ers. Some stutterers acquire and respond to this particular insight quicklyby realizing that if they do not want adverse reactions, their task becomesone of alleviating their stuttering. After reasserting their conviction thatstrengthening patterns of coarticulation is the logical thing to alleviatestuttering, they apply it diligently, and impasse or relapse gives way toprogress. Other stutterers require more time to evaluate listener reac-tions and to appreciate the effect they can have on attempts to alleviatestuttering. In certain cases, stutterers fail to realize that they are project-ing their own feelings and thoughts about stuttering onto their listeners.Pointing out that one really never knows what another is thinking serves a purpose in such instances. To think that we know what another is thinking Impasse or relapse gives way to amounts to little more progress. than our own thoughts about what may be involved. When stutter-ers hold valid information about stuttering and what to do about it, iteventually influences their thinking about and reactions to instances ofstuttering. Stutterers become progressively less prone to react emotionallyabout it and as a result progressively more prone to realize that emotionalreactions of listeners are based on listeners lack of understanding aboutstuttering. Ultimately, stutterers appreciate the futility of allowing unin-formed reactions of others to control their behaviors, particularly whenstutterers know they have within themselves the capacity to do somethinglogical about it. As insights of this nature are supplemented by reaffirma-tion of their understanding and conviction that strengthening patterns ofcoarticulation is the logical thing to do, stutterers concentrate on doingwhat they must do and this becomes progressively less affected by thereactions of others. Since stutterers, like everyone else, march to different drummers,they can be expected to and should be allowed to individually resolve theeffects of listener reactions on their attempts to alleviate stuttering. Onestutterer resolved the issue by realizing that listeners would continue toreact as long as her stuttering persisted. On the other hand, she couldexpect listeners to react to the deliberateness of her speech as she volun-tarily strengthened patterns of coarticulation by preparing for the secondsound of syllables or words and making the first sound as a deliberatemovement into and through what she was already prepared for. Thedifference, as she noted it, is that listeners react better when speech iscontrolled and that as patterns of coarticulation were strengthened andbecame more rapid, she observed fewer reactions, ultimately no reactions,on the part of listeners to how she spoke. Another stutterer stated that he

Management of Stuttering 33had resolved the issue by thinking, They dont know what Im doing, butI do. Still another said, I owe it to myself to do it. Stuttering has balledup my life long enough, so Im doing the first sensible thing Ive ever heardabout stutteringno matter what anyone thinks. Other stutterers feel that working on their speech in everyday situationsis impolite in the sense that they are somehow using the people to whomthey speak. In effect, they are applying the golden rule to rationalizetheir inability to do what they know they should be doing. Their rational-ization provides an easy way out, at least for the present time. They pro-vide a personally acceptable explanation for maintaining the status quo.To do anything different would arouse internal bodily changes and theattendant emotions which are generally felt, mislabeled, and reacted to innegative terms. Rationalizations of this nature are resolved as stutterers become awareof the futile conflict between their need for change and their prevailinglack of progress. When common sense prevails, stutterers realize it isbetter to shape their own behaviors on the basis of valid information thanit is for their behavior to be shaped by others who have no understandingof what is going on. The foregoing does not imply that stutterers shouldbe insensitive to the reactions of their listeners. The manner in whichone stutterer worded it reflects how many stutterers resolve the issue oflistener reactions: It isnt that you dont care what they thinkyou really do. It takes awhile, but if you have something specific to do and for good reasons, you sort of forget to care or you dont have time to care. Concentrating on what to do and doing a good job of it sort of blocks out whats going on around you. Its like you can think of only one thing at a time. As your skill becomes stronger and more natural, youre more capable of both doing it and being aware of whats going on around you. When you get to this point, people pay attention to what youre saying, not to how youre saying it. Its sure different. Impasse or relapse can be and often is the result of insufficient or faultypractice of coarticulation. If the extent or mode of practice is suspected,the preceding phases of therapy should be reviewed. In many cases, theconfusion of stutterers is confounded because they cannot or do not sepa-rate basic stuttering from complicating behaviors that develop becausebasic stuttering is not alleviated. Understanding and being able to rec-ognize instances of basic stuttering is an important first step. When thisis achieved, one of the more common mistakes is that stutterers wait forinstances of stuttering to occur before doing something about them. Thisperpetrates preoccupation about stuttering and generates nervousness,fear, and other undesirable feelings. In such cases, misinformed stutter-ers generally attempt to minimize their emotional load. It reminds oneof motorists whose automobile engines spit and sputter when workingagainst a load, such as going up a hill, who, rather than doing somethingabout their engine, use their time and energy looking at contour maps and

34 Management of Stutteringchoosing only level road to travel on to keep their cars from not respond-ing smoothly to changes of load. In contrast to waiting for stuttering tooccur before doing something about it, alleviation of stuttering is bestserved by practice and strengthening the important factor of coarticula-tion, which is violated in intraphonemic disruptions, the core behavior ofstuttering. How this is practiced has been discussed in Phase Five. Essentially, one should return to basic fundamentals. Alleviating onesstuttering is ultimately a matter of self discipline and control. This can beenhanced by developing a habit of doing essential things (other than work onstuttering) that one does not particularly like to do. The proposed therapeu-tic procedure requires that stutterers budget their time in a fairly rigid man-ner to do something specific about what they have probably been avoiding for years. Concentrated practice during sched- A matter of self discipline and uled periods inter- control. spersed throughout each day is a reasonable and practical way to begin.Three ten-minute periods amount to only 3% and three 30-minute peri-ods amount to less than 10% of a wakeful 16 hour day. In terms of timeand effort, such routines are not high prices to pay for the benefits to begained. If a practical routine of practice is adhered to, the practiced skill iseventually generalized in a progressive fashion and extended to surround-ing periods of time. As the skill becomes strengthened and reflexive, onefinds it being used progressively more in everyday speech, without fatigueor interference with the give and take of interpersonal communication.It should be obvious that stutterers should appreciate that they will getsomething out of something only when they put in, that insufficient practiceor lax habits of practice results in less acquired skill and less generalizationof skill to their everyday speech. How much to practice involves the abilityto recognize the occurrence of basic stuttering in ones speech. Whereas thepresence of stuttering can be taken in a negative sense as indicating impasseor relapse, it is more profitable to view it in a positive sense as a signal for theneed for additional practice of what one must do if it is to be eliminated. Faulty practice, however extensive and routine, can be expected tobring inadequate results which could be construed as impasse or relapse.As one begins the proposed therapeutic procedure, identifying and pre-paring for the second sound of syllables or words is generally a tediousprocess. Although not absolutely necessary, a working knowledge ofphonetics symbolizes the sounds of speech and helps to prevent errorsof judgment. Breaking away from thinking of spoken words in terms ofthe letters of one writing alphabet is of major importance. Approximately80% of what we say involves identification and preparation for the secondsound of syllables and words. For the rest of what we say, the first andsecond sounds overlap to such an extent that one might as well consider

Management of Stuttering 35them as being one sound. In such instances, preparation for the thirdsound becomes necessary as the place to move into and throughto becoarticulated with the combined effect of the first and second sounds.Failure to recognize such complexities of normal speech can lead to faultypractice and failures that give rise to impasse or relapse. Impasse or relapse can also result from the urge on the part of the cli-ent to prematurely decrease the deliberateness of speech. Strengthening agiven behavior to the point it displaces a competing behavior takes time toaccomplish, particularly when the undesirable behavior has prevailed overa long period of time. Generally, the urge to decrease the deliberateness ofspeech can be traced back to how stutterers interpret and respond to reac-tions or expected reactions of listeners to their deliberate mode of speech.It helps if stutterers recognize that the world of speakers is made up ofthose whose rate of speaking is somewhere between those who talk slowand others who talk fast and that few, if any, normal speakers attain theirgoal of being consistently fluent. In other words, normal speech is charac-terized by numerous pauses and nonfluencies as well as various rates. Taking the time needed for structuring what one wants to say andpacing ones speech for the purpose of strengthening adequate move-ment patterns serves several purposes at the same time. Thinking ofwhat is to be said and exercising voluntary control over how it is saidpreoccupies ones thoughts to the point that thinking about what someoneelse may be thinking becomes a secondary matter of concern. Doing soweakens the effect of listener reactions as well as the stutterers habits ofcircumlocution, word substitution, use of starters, and other distractingbehaviors that in effect make adequate speech impossible. Rather thanpostponement being related to avoidance, postponement can be used con-structively in planning how to successively strengthen adequate patternsthat will eventually generalize to everyday verbal activities. Still another issue to be considered when evaluating impasse or relapseis linguistic proficiency, the ability to formulate what one wishes toexpress. As stuttering is alleviated, the individual generally becomes moreverbal and takes part to a greater degree in the give and take or everydayconversations and discussions. At such a time, certain stutterers are proneto think that their stuttering increases, which in certain cases may be true.However, stutterers should scrutinize what is really happening. In manycases, nonfluency rather than dysfluency increases. Becoming frustratedabout not being able to formulate a particular point of view generates non-fluency in any speaker, nonstutterer or stutterer. If, in fact, basic stutteringin the form of intraphonemic disruptions is in evidence, it signals the needfor additional practice or coarticulation. On the other hand, if excessive nonfluency prevails, other proceduresmay serve to reduce it. A direct and rather simple approach is to write aword on each of a stack of cards, words such as shoes, politics, steel, base-ball, geography, and so forth. The client should shuffle the cards, lay them

36 Management of Stutteringupside down, pull the top card off and start talking about the topic. He orshe should talk as long as possible without groping for words or stallingto determine how to structure the words into meaningful phrases and sen-tences. When pausing for these or other reasons, the client should penalizehim- or herself by taking ano