Pausing and Stutttering

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Re: degrees of pausing

From: Peter Reitzes
Date: 02 Oct 2009
Time: 11:48:39 -0500
Remote Name: 165.155.192.75

Comments

Ari, good question. I am a little confused by part of the question though. Most people I know who teach fluency shaping teach it as being connected or continuous speech, not stopping or pausing speech. I do however think that pausing and fluency shaping share the goal of reduced frequency of stuttering. Having said that, yes, there are degrees of pausing. Sometimes, we refer to pausing as having gears (like a bicycle). So, we may start by teaching pausing in first gear (the person pauses after every word) then move to second gear (the speaker pauses after every 1-2 words), and so on. Sometimes, in a single session, we will move back and forth between first and seventh gear (or higher) to get a feel for how pausing effects stuttering and the related tension that coincides with stuttering. At times, I find it helpful to remind or mention to the client that taking a normal breath at some of the pauses is a good idea. Thanks again for the questions Ari, you always have great stuff to share!


Last changed: 10/02/09