| There are different techniques used for the | | | | Plosives and affricates should be slightly distorted |
| treatment of intermediate Stuttering. Such | | | | so that they sound like fricatives but are still |
| techniques are a mix of fluency shaping and | | | | intelligible. Modeling a variety of words with initial |
| stuttering modification techniques. Here are some | | | | consonants and reinforcing the child's successive |
| of the commonly used techniques for treating | | | | approximations of the target accomplish teaching |
| intermediate stuttering. | | | | a child to use light contacts. The clinician can use a |
| Flexible Rate | | | | variety of games to make the concept of light |
| Flexible rate is slowing down the production of a | | | | contact more interesting. |
| word, especially the first syllable. This technique is | | | | Proprioception |
| thought to allow more time for language planning | | | | Proprioception refers to sensory feedback from |
| and motor execution. In here, only those syllables | | | | mechanoreceptors in muscles of the lips, jaw, and |
| on which stuttering is expected are slowed, not | | | | tongue. The effectiveness of teaching |
| the surrounding speech. | | | | proprioception may be that it promotes conscious |
| Flexible rate is taught by having the clinician model | | | | attention to sensory information from the |
| production of words in which the first syllable and | | | | articulators, perhaps bypassing inefficient |
| the transition to the second syllable are said in a | | | | automatic sensory monitoring systems and |
| way that slows all of the sounds equally. Vowels, | | | | thereby normalizing sensory-motor control. |
| fricatives, nasals, sibilants, and glides are | | | | Children can be taught to use proprioception by |
| lengthened, and plosives and affricates are | | | | having a child first hold a raisin in his mouth and |
| produced to sound more like fricatives, without | | | | report on its taste, shape, size, and other |
| stopping the sound or airflow. | | | | attributes. Children can also learn proprioception by |
| After the clinician's model, the child produces the | | | | picking a word from a list and then closing their |
| word with flexible rate, and successive | | | | eyes and silently moving their articulators for this |
| approximations of the target are reinforced. | | | | word and being rewarded when the clinician |
| Easy Onsets | | | | guesses the word. |
| Easy onsets refer to an easy or gentle onset of | | | | Children can be coached to feel the movements |
| voicing. Teaching easy onsets is like teaching | | | | of their lips, tongue, and jaw as they say a word. |
| flexible rate. The clinician models the target | | | | Proprioceptive awareness can also be enhanced |
| behavior by the use of a lot of different sounds | | | | by using masking noise or delayed auditory |
| and then he makes the child imitate the models. | | | | feedback to interfere with self-hearing. In this, the |
| After the child tries to imitate, the therapist | | | | clinician must look for slightly exaggerated, slow |
| should reinforce the child's successive | | | | movements to verify that a child is trying to feel |
| approximations. | | | | the movement of his articulators. |
| Some children, particular younger ones, may be | | | | Scaffolding |
| helped to get the concept by performing an | | | | It is useful with some children to scaffold their |
| action, such as bringing their hands together | | | | use of superfluency by letting the listener/s know |
| slowly, as they produce an easy onset. | | | | that we are working on our speech and |
| Light Contacts | | | | sometimes by coaching the child in that |
| Producing consonants with light contacts prevents | | | | fluency-friendly environment. This can be exhibited |
| the stoppage of airlow and or voicing that can | | | | for example telling a stranger in a mall that the |
| trigger stuttering. Light contacts are taught by | | | | child and the clinician are working on their speech |
| modeling a style of producing consonants with | | | | and would like to ask him some questions, |
| relaxed articulators and continuous flow of air or | | | | another example would be when the child makes |
| voice, depending on the consonant. | | | | telephone calls. |