Treating fluency disordered adolescents

This paper presents fluency disorders in three types of stuttering syndromes with etiological considerations. The syndromes consist of affective, behavioral and cognitive components useful for fluency assessment and establishment of therapy goals with adolescents who stutter. The ultimate goal of the treatment program is a feeling of fluency control rather than actual fluency. A therapy process for fluency disordered adolescents is suggested which outlines four stages with goals and objectives for each stage. Behavior techniques for eliciting a feeling of fluency control are also included. Finally, a case history illustrates the therapy process for an adolescent with a fluency disorder.