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From: David Dwyer
Date: 18 Oct 2009
Time: 18:54:11 -0500
Remote Name: 199.111.185.120
The most difficult, but most useful technique I use is to simply relax. I can normally tell if a word will make me stutter before I say it, so I subtly try to change my speech before it to ease into the troublesome word. Firstly, I try to relax my throat. Then, I slow my speech, all the while maintaining a constant, steady breathing pattern. If I do this, I can normally progress through the problematic word fluently. If the word starts with a hard sound, like a "t," you can almost slur the end of the previous word into it. If it is a bad day then I will just substitute for a synonym, though this is a last resort since it doesn't help you practice, and there wont always be an apt substitute. None of these techniques are groundbreaking, but they were the ones I practiced most when I was not in therapy. When I did go to therapy later in life, I simply refined my techniques, especially relaxing my mouth, tongue, throat, etc., and stopped substituting words.