Fluency Therapy and Clinical Approaches

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key concepts in fluency therapy, including therapeutic alliance, clinical change, and the comparative strategies of stuttering modification versus fluency shaping.

Predictors of therapeutic success

The quality of the relationship between the patient and the clinician.

Therapeutic alliance

The bond between a client and their therapist; highly important in fluency therapy due to required interactions and counseling.

Traits of a good clinician

Empathy, Genuineness and warmth, Critical thinking, Creativity, Openness, Charis-ma (charisma), and Humor.

Clinical change

A change in the client's (1) ability to communicate, (2) feelings about their stuttering, and (3) communicative success.

Stuttering modification approach

An approach that helps the client learn to modify their moments of stuttering (MOS), reduce struggle, and decrease avoidance behaviors/fears; usually less formal and less structured.

Stuttering modification strategies

Cancellations, Pull outs, and preparatory sets.

Pros of Stuttering modification approach

The client can speak in a typical pattern and therapy can be spontaneous and pleasant.

Cons of Stuttering modification approach

The client must discuss fears and disliked speaking tasks, and therapy may provide less data if not well-designed due to less structure.

Fluency shaping approach

A highly structured approach based on operant conditioning principles where target responses are established in controlled situations and gradually approximated into conversational speech.

Fluency shaping strategies

Light contact, easy onset, slow rate, and pausing and phrasing.

Pros of Fluency shaping approach

It is less confrontational, sessions often require less planning, more data is available, and it is easy to teach to new clinicians.

Cons of Fluency shaping approach

It may require the client to speak abnormally while learning, sessions may be boring, and more charting is required.

General principles for preschool treatment

1. Adopting an integrated, holistic approach; 2. Preparing educational materials and hierarchy; 3. Caregiver modeling.

General principles for school-aged treatment

1. Explore therapy history and feelings of therapy; 2. Build the therapeutic relationships; 3. Communicate with the family; 4. Explore the client's readiness for treatment/change.

General principles for adult treatment

1. Time; 2. Individualized program; 3. Clinical flexibility; 4. Increasing acceptance and reducing avoidance; 5. Work on speech to their comfort level or desire.