A clinical adaptation of the Hollins precision fluency shaping program through de-intensification

Abstract

Precision Fluency Shaping, as used in this article, refers to a technique for the treatment of stuttering developed at the Hollins Communication Research Institute, Roanoke, Virginia (Webster, 1971). The program as offered at Hollins requires clients to travel to the Institute and live in residence for 3 weeks. The reported results of the program indeed appear promising. Reportedly, 96% of 200 participants, who were followed from 9 to 40 months after the program, showed improvement, with 80% having disfluency levels of 3% or less in speech samples obtained in conversation and oral reading (Hollins Communication Research Institute Report, Vol. 2, No. 1, March 1975, p. 4). However, the disadvantages to the clients of taking time off from work and/or school and the expense of travel, housing, meals, and fees obviously limit client access to the program. Recently, the Hollins Institute offered a training course in Precision Fluency Shaping for Clinicians, which was attended by the senior author. Upon returning from this program, a precision fluency shaping program was constructed at the Speech and Hearing Institute, wherein the techniques in use at Hollins were faithfully followed with the exception that the program was administered over a 3-month period, with clients meeting three times per week in the late afternoon and early evening to accommodate their working and/or educational schedules. The purpose of the project was to determine whether or not a precision fluency shaping program, which was considerably de-intensified compared to the Hollins program, could produce comparable levels of positive change. Obvi-