Addressing Stuttering Behaviors Is Key in Speech Therapy

Stuttering behaviors are common in later stages of stuttering.

They are different for everyone.

They make stuttering more distracting for the listener and more embarrassing for the person who stutters.



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Concomitant Behaviors

Physical behaviors that accompany stuttering moments.

There are 5 types...

  • Posturing - Moving hands, stomping foot, trunk jerk, head turn

  • Respiratory - Fast or shallow breathing, breathing too often

  • Facial - Grimaces, loss of eye contact, closing/blinking eyes

  • Vocal - Pitch goes up, voice quality changes, talk louder or faster

  • Syntactic & Semantic: Gestures, word/sound changes, use more interjections like um, uh, er


Any Concomitant Behavior above could be used to try to “get out” of a stutter.

For some people, a whole series of actions is needed before they can stop stuttering.

Escape Behaviors

Behaviors done to get out of a stutter.


SEE ALSO: The Best Free App for Speech Therapy


Avoidance Behaviors

Behaviors done to try to prevent stuttering when it is expected.

There are 5 types...

  • Starters: A word or phrase used to get a running start on an anticipated disfluency/stutter

    Example: "Let me see…," "You know…,"

  • Substitutions: Substituting one word or phrase for another when stuttering is expected

  • Circumlocutions: Talking all around a word or phrase when stuttering is expected

  • Postponements: Waiting for a few beats or putting in filler words before starting a word on which stuttering is expected

  • Anti-Expectancy Devices: Using an odd manner or funny voice to avoid stuttering when it is anticipated

SEE ALSO: The Best Books for Speech Therapy Practice

Speech therapy books for targeting multiple goals



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