Fluency Anchor Charts

Ms. Petersen, SLP

2015 Melissa Petersen, MA, CCC-SLP. All rights reserved. Copying permitted for nonprofit home or educational use only. www.MsPetersenSLP.wordpress.com
Fluency strategies can be used by children who stutter (CWS) to give them
control over their speech. Fluency strategies help CWS manage the motor
component of stuttering during speech. Some strategies help a CWS to
maintain fluency—these strategies are using fluency shaping. Other strategies
help a CWS to regain control after a stutter has already begun—these
strategies are using stuttering modification.
The strategies on the following pages use elements of both fluency shaping and
stuttering modification. They should be taught individually, and chosen
carefully based on the kind of disfluencies the CWS is experiencing, and what
the CWS is willing and able to do to modify his/her talking.
Remember: Speech therapy for stuttering works on motor skills, but should
also treat the whole CWS, including feelings about stuttering, avoidance of
stuttering, knowledge about stuttering, environmental factors influencing
stuttering, any concomitant communication disorders, and the social impact of
stuttering. This product addresses only the motor component of stuttering, and
should be used as a part of an integrated approach to stuttering that addresses
all areas of need.

A reminder:
By downloading this product, you have the right to use it for yourself. You may use or as often as you wish
for your students only. Please do not share this file with your colleagues. Send them to my blog or TPT store
if they wish to download the file for themselves. Multi-use licenses are available for a 50% discount.

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2015 Melissa Petersen, MA, CCC-SLP. All rights reserved. Copying permitted for nonprofit home or educational use only. www.MsPetersenSLP.wordpress.com
 Speech strategies: stuttering
Strategy How to do it Why it works

Breathy speech Add extra air in your voice. Reduces tension.

Blending Keep your voice going all the time. Blend Reduces tension, slows down your speech.
Continuous phonation sounds together smoothly. Let your mouth and
voice glide through your words.

Easy start Start the first word of your thought with a very Reduces tension.
Easy onset relaxed, slow voice. The rest of your sentence
will be normal speed.

Easy stuttering Let yourself stutter! Repeat the first syllable of Easy stuttering reduces tension, and
your word or phrase on purpose, with a makes stutters shorter and less noticeable.
relaxed mouth and throat.

Eye contact If you are having a hard time with your speech, Helps the other person know that you are
keep looking at the person you are talking with. still talking with them, and can keep them
Don’t look away. from interrupting you.

Finger strategy Run your finger under the words while you Reduces rate. Helps with pacing, and helps
read them out loud. Keep your voice with your keep your mouth and your eyes moving
finger. together.

Long starts The first word of each sentence is sssslow and Reduces tension.
sssstretchy.

Mushy Mouth Speak using “soft contacts” on consonants. Reduces tension.

Soft sounds Your lips and tongue barely touch when you
Light articulatory
talk.
contacts

Phrasing Take breaks for breathing and pausing. Add a Reduces rate.
pause in between ideas, when you need to Gives extra time for your mouth to make
breathe, if you are about to stutter, or when the sounds. Also helps add expression to
you need to think about what to say next. reading or speaking.

Pull-out/Slide Freeze on the stutter. Relax the part of your Reduces tension.
speech machine that is tight or pushing. Keep
going with the word.

Speed scale On a speed scale of 1-10, aim for “the zone”, Reduces rate. Going at a steady rate helps
which is around a 3 or 4. 1-2 is too slow, and 6 keep your mouth and your brain together.
and above is too fast.

Stretchy words Stretch your words out loooooooong, especially Reduces rate, reduces tension.
the words which are making you stutter.

Time-out When you start to stutter, pause for 3 seconds, Reduces rate, and reduces tension.
relax your mouth, and begin again.

2015 Melissa Petersen, MA, CCC-SLP. All rights reserved. Copying permitted for nonprofit home or educational use only. www.MsPetersenSLP.wordpress.com
 Speech strategies: cluttering
Strategy How to do it Why it works

Don’t go back! When we are talking or reading, we only Going back to say something again is
move forwards. If you forget something, confusing to people listening.
leave it behind and DON’T GO BACK!

Say all the Make sure you say each sound that Thinking about saying all of the sounds
sounds happens in the word. If it is a long word, helps your speech to be clear. It can also
break it up into parts. help you to slow down your speech in a
natural way.

Finger Run your finger under the words while Helps with pacing, and helps keep your
strategy you read them out loud. Keep your voice mouth and your brain moving together.
with your finger.

Phrasing Take breaks for breathing and pausing at Helps with pacing.
commas and periods.
Gives extra time for your mouth to make
the sounds. Also helps add expression to
reading or speaking.

Speed scale On a speed scale of 1-10, aim for “the Going at a steady rate helps keep your
zone”, which is around a 3 or 4. 1-2 is too mouth and your brain together.
slow, and 6 and above is too fast.

Elongate Slow down when saying longer words, to Prevents “rushing” through longer words,
multi-syllable make sure that you hit all of the sounds in making them jumbled.
words the word.

Exaggerated Exaggerate every sound in every word. Helps to slow speech, and makes sure that
speech all words are clear.

Stress Put emphasis on the unstressed parts of Helps to prevent syllables from being
unstressed longer words. “lost” when speaking more quickly, and
syllables also increases awareness of speech.

Confidential Speak as if you want only yourself and the Takes strain off of vocal folds, and makes
voice person sitting right next to you to hear it easier to use other strategies
what you are saying – just above a simultaneously.
whisper.

Intonation Use exaggerated intonation (expression, Makes speech sound more natural, and
pausing) while speaking or reading. helps keep words separated from each
other.

2015 Melissa Petersen, MA, CCC-SLP. All rights reserved. Copying permitted for nonprofit home or educational use only. www.MsPetersenSLP.wordpress.com
 Types of stuttering
Type What is it? What is happening?

Repeat Repeating a sound, syllable, I am going too fast.

word, or phrase.

Prolongation Getting stuck on a sound. I am pushing too hard.

Long

Block No sound comes out. I am pushing too hard.

Stop

Combo A combination of other I might be going too fast, or

kinds of stuttering. be pushing too hard.

Noisy breathing I am breathing in a strange I am tight in my lungs, neck,

spot, getting stuck on my or voice box.
breathing, or making noises
when I breathe.

Filler Adding extra words I am trying to avoid

Interjection
or sounds. stuttering out loud.
Um… like… actually… so… I am trying to go too fast.
yeah… whatever…

Changing words I am changing what I say to I am trying to avoid

Circumlocution
use different words so I stuttering out loud.
won’t stutter.

Avoidance I stop talking. I am trying to avoid

stuttering out loud.

2015 Melissa Petersen, MA, CCC-SLP. All rights reserved. Copying permitted for nonprofit home or educational use only. www.MsPetersenSLP.wordpress.com