So, to go back to my arguments why traditional speech therapy didn't work for me: IMO, Reasons why traditional speech therapy probably didn't work for me: * If we consider the primary symptom of stuttering: **not initiating the initial speech motor programs** (or not executing planned syllables for overt execution). * **Regarding soft contacts**: Then an intolerance for the **sensation of loss of control** might have been my own **trigger**. This "sensation of loss of control" is likely different for every PWS. For example, some PWS if they **tense their speech muscles \[trigger\]** then, exactly this, is what they perceive as "a loss of control" (making them believe that they are unable to initiate articulation). So, for PWS who have associated this specific trigger (regarding articulatory tension) with speech performance (a process called conditioning). For those PWS, if they then use soft contacts to reduce the tension of speech muscles, then they might perceive reduced \[speech errors\] or \[conflict\], and therefore, the execution threshold is not too high, and thus, they are able to execute the planned words without stuttering * **Regarding prolongation**: PWS who are convinced that prolongation increases fluency, would perceive less speech errors or conflict when using prolongation. After all, they are meeting their "expectation or demand": "**I need prolongation to make it easier to execute motor plans**". In my opinion, for non-stutterers this "need for such expectation to initiate motor plans" is silly beacuse this would only limit speech performance, in that, creating any limitation in the form of such expectations in itself creates a stutter disorder. For non-stutterers, it makes more sense to not have any expectations (aka demands) to initiate motor programs, and simply execute motor programs immediately without "needing" something, without waiting out "rules", without relying on reduced triggers, or without blaming something - specifically to initiate speech, do you agree? * **Regarding pseudo-stuttering**: I myself don't stutter more when I'm afraid of my stuttering. However, IMO, if other PWS have "learned" to associate "fear of stuttering" to speech performance (a process called conditioning). Then pseudo-stuttering (which might reduce such fear of stuttering) could increase fluency for those specific PWS, in my opinion