Self-Adjusting Fluency Therapy

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe a rationale and methodology for a self-adjusting approach to working with children, which we called “fluency sensitive”. These techniques may be applied as a component of a therapy program for preschoolers and school aged children who exhibit overt fluency interruptions and a minimal amount of avoidance behavior. The goal of this approach is to help children integrate fluency enhancing speech adjustments by repeatedly experiencing the effects of volitional increases and decreases in loudness and pausing. Case examples are presented to demonstrate how several fluency sensitive children responded to this approach. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues related to the nature of change in self-adjusting therapy. To begin, we describe the nature of fluency and fluency sensitivity.