| Don't leave your fluency behind. Take it with you | | | | you don't do the maintenance, eventually bits |
| wherever you go! | | | | start breaking and falling off! Maintaining a car |
| I know you, as a person with a stutter, have just | | | | works best when you do a little regularly, it's the |
| taken part in some stuttering treatment / | | | | same with maintaining your fluency. "Yep, I know |
| therapy! It may have been an intensive five-day | | | | the drills, I know all the maintenance routines, we |
| course, it may have been the Ezy-Speech | | | | practised them for hours. So what are you |
| program. Whatever it was, I know you feel | | | | saying? Do a little practice all the time?" Yes, |
| fantastic, for the first time in your life you feel in | | | | exactly, if you are driving your car all the time, |
| control of your stutter, for the first time in your | | | | ongoing maintenance is a must to ensure the car |
| life your thoughts are not negative in relation to | | | | itself doesn't develop a mechanical stutter and |
| your speach. You actually feel fluent, and you | | | | that you can drive it safely! When you are feeling |
| truly want to speak. I know the last thing you | | | | fluent and your technique is working well for you, |
| want to do is linger at the clinic or at home, you | | | | this is the time to practise, to maintain, and to |
| want to get out and speak, don't you? | | | | ensure that fluency is ongoing! You see, if things |
| "I feel fluent! I want to speak to someone and let | | | | start to go wrong and your control over your |
| people know what I now have, fluency, I'm | | | | stutter is slipping, it is very difficult to regain the |
| bursting at the seams!" | | | | feeling of control once you have let it slide. "So, I |
| Whoa, whoa, settle down there mate! Have you | | | | think you're saying, to work on my fluency while I |
| got the right attitude? Have you got your | | | | am feeling or being fluent, is that correct"? |
| technique with you and are you prepared to use | | | | Exactly! |
| it? Are you willing to be honest with people about | | | | Remember, there is no cure for stuttering, only |
| the way that you now sound? "Yeah, I know, I | | | | control and management, this is achieved by |
| do sound a little different now I suppose, I'm not | | | | consistent maintenance of your wonderful |
| stuttering and I feel wonderful, so in control, I just | | | | technique. |
| want to get out and speak!" And that's great, I | | | | Look at maintaining your fluency a bit like making |
| don't want to dampen your enthusiasm at all, just | | | | a deposit into a fluency account at the bank! |
| be careful and be prepared with your attitude and | | | | Maybe it could be something that you take with |
| technique. Maybe it's better just to hold back a | | | | you everywhere that you go, so let's call it a |
| little and test out your new mindset and fluency in | | | | fluency bag. If you withdraw from that fluency |
| a more comfortable situation. | | | | bag too much, without ongoing deposits of good |
| It's important to mention that, for a time, you will | | | | practice, then control over your stutter will |
| sound a little different to yourself and to others. | | | | diminish. Continually top up your fluency bag while |
| For the positive changes to take place and be | | | | you feel fluent so fluency becomes |
| ongoing, it really means quite a deal of hard work | | | | self-maintaining. Remember, practise technique |
| and commitment on your part. "What do you | | | | every time you open your mouth and continue to |
| mean? I know I have to practise all the time and | | | | play with your technique while in conversation, |
| address my technique before I speak". That's | | | | enjoy your new-found fluency, be proud of |
| excellent, if you are aware of these things and | | | | yourself, your achievement. |
| you commit to the job at hand, then you will | | | | "Thanks, I know it's up to me, only I can call the |
| continue to maintain that fluent feeling and | | | | shots and ensure that I don't slip back into |
| eventually have great control over your stutter. | | | | stuttering. |
| Controlling a stutter is a bit like maintaining a car, if | | | | |