ABSTRACT

Easy onset is a fluency technique that was developed following research on laryngeal function. The results of a number of studies seemed to suggest that some adults who stammered had difficulty coordinating respiration and phonation when initiating speech. Proving popular in programmes in the 1970s in the USA (Webster, 1974; Cooper, 1979), this technique provided a means to address this issue. When carrying out an easy onset, the individual is encouraged to start an utterance with a small amount of exhaled air, then the sound of the first word follows in an easy manner. Thus the speaker breaks down the start of speech into its constituent parts, rather than attempting to simultaneously coordinate respiration, voice production and articulation.