basically, everyone has occasional repetitions/prolongations, even more as young children. If someone gave you the impression that your repetitions were an issue, and you wanted to do better, you maybe started “trying harder” to get your words out. “Trying harder” is actually what directly causes a block. Many PWS subconsciously develop avoidance techniques (word switching, eye contact avoidance etc). The words you CANNOT switch/avoid (your name, your school, your town, your favorite toy etc) become feared words - and, the sound they begin with even become feared sounds. If your name is Sam, you block on S bc you can’t switch/avoid your name. Eventually, your brain fears S, and starts blocking on other S words. Blocks are a fear response- but fear from much much earlier times when you struggled to talk, or someone made you feel uncomfortable. Per SLPs who specialize in dysfluency, Acknowledging this is the key to longterm comfort control in talking. (most SLPs aren’t trained in dysfluency, so the help they give usually does nothing, or makes it worse over time). So, we block and have avoidance behaviors bc we are ashamed for people to hear our repetitions. the is to let ppl hear your repetitions! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AyeJ5t22mUE Start in front of a mirror, do voluntary repetitions. Notice what your eyes do. If they avoid looking, your work is to get more comfortable watching yourself having repetitions. Add to this practice (making eye contact while doing voluntary repetitions) when you’re ready by including your feared words/sounds, calling a store to ask a question, and eventually doing this in person somewhere. Here’s my list of things to do: 1. Disclose in some way (tell person you have a speech dysfluency, meaning sometimes you pause, repeat etc) or do voluntary repetitions. 2. Make normal eye contact (1 and 2 help your brain you see you don’t have to be so scared) 3. Begin talking on exhale (not inhale) bc that’s what normal speakers do. 4. Begin slowly (Look and Let it out) and enunciate. We speed it up out of fear. My sources. Look at the bios of these people. Then, listen to Tim Mackesey’s free *podcast* from the beginning https://www.stuttering-specialist.com/about-us https://www.stutteringtreatment.org https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/07-08/stuttering-dsm