The second week focuses on desensitization. The major goal of this segment is to desensitize patients to the expectation and experience of stuttering. This phase include exercises in maintaining eye contact, analyzing reactions to stuttering, and regaining control in stuttering event. In this phase, patients are expected to make modifications in their reactions to stuttering such as avoiding, interjections, and postponing.
The next week uses the cancellation procedure from Van Riper’s technique with introduction and practice processes. This stage teaches patients with slow motion speech with attention given to precise prolongation of natural speed production and the use of pauses. Records have shown that frequency of stuttering have substantial reduction in most patients.
Aside from introduction and practice, the fourth week now employs the pull-outs devised by Van Riper. This is simpler than the process in the previous stage. Patients are trained to gain control of the stuttering event, thus completing the word through slow movement. Most patients rarely have difficulty achieving this process. Often than not, they find such process pleasurable.
In addition, the fourth week involves less outdoor activities and telephone sessions. However, for ensuring their fluency, a 15 to 20 minute public speech is done as an exercise.
Lastly, the final week involves no exercise anymore. It is more of reviewing the sequence of therapy and instructs the patients to work their way backwards. In addition, the therapists further explain the sources of relapse and discuss specific characteristics of a life of a person who stutter.
In a recent survey, this stuttering modification process has been successful so far in many patients.