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From: John B. Ellis
Date: 12 Oct 2004
Time: 11:20:57 -0500
Remote Name: 128.138.179.213
In my experience, which is considerably less than Peter’s, I have encountered a few confirmed, chronic stutterers who have “recovered” using a fluency shaping approach. In these cases, which were the exception rather than the rule, these individuals (a) did not exhibit significant word or situation avoidances during therapy, (b) did not mind speaking at a slow, controlled rate regardless of the situation, and (c) exhibited a consistent ability to consciously employ fluency shaping techniques (e.g., slow speech, easy onsets) across environments. As a consequence, these individuals were clearly determined and motivated to utilize fluency shaping techniques and did not hesitate to “drop it down a gear” (i.e., slow down, exaggerate their movements) to maintain the forward flow of speech.