The prediction and prevention of relapse in stuttering. The value of self-control techniques and locus of control measures.

The team worked with 17 adults who stuttered. They gave regular speech therapy and tracked each person's locus-of-control score.

They wanted to see if the score could warn who would relapse after therapy ended. If the score stayed the same, they added self-control training as a booster.

Fifteen of the seventeen clients whose scores never moved did relapse. The simple paper scale spotted trouble ahead.

When six of those fifteen got extra self-control coaching, four stayed fluent. A quick retreatment saved most at-risk speakers.

Polaha et al. (2004) saw the same self-management payoff in swimmers. Counting their own strokes cut one stroke per lap, just like counting speech errors helped stutterers.

Desrochers et al. (2017) and Junaid et al. (2021) stretched the idea further. They bundled self-monitoring with feedback to save electricity and boost steps, showing the tactic works outside speech clinics.

Cruz et al. (2019) used a different pre-test, the PDC-Safety, to pick who needed prompting at work. Both papers prove a short assessment can steer you to the right fix before the problem returns.

You already track data during intervention. Add a quick locus-of-control scale once a month. If scores flat-line, layer in self-monitoring, self-graphing, or self-cueing before you fade support. The five-minute check can cut later relapse and save you from re-starting intensive treatment.