Stuttering Therapy Online
  • MPI-2 Programme
  • Stuttering Treatment
  • Free Techniques
    • Prolonged Speech
    • Continuous Phonation
    • Easy Onsets
    • Soft Contacts
    • How To Manage Speech Blocks
    • Using Fluency Techniques In Real Life
    • Why Do I Stutter More In Some Situations?
    • Stuttering and Job Interviews
  • Worksheets
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • About Me
  • MPI-2 Programme
  • Stuttering Treatment
  • Free Techniques
    • Prolonged Speech
    • Continuous Phonation
    • Easy Onsets
    • Soft Contacts
    • How To Manage Speech Blocks
    • Using Fluency Techniques In Real Life
    • Why Do I Stutter More In Some Situations?
    • Stuttering and Job Interviews
  • Worksheets
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • About Me

Easy onsets (also known as gentle voice onsets)


Easy onsets are a fluency technique to help produce vowel sounds at the start of words. Easy onset speech refers to the slow initiation of vocal fold vibration (Max & Caruso, 1997).

Speech is made up of voiced and voiceless sounds. Try touching your voice box as you make some vowel sounds and notice that you can feel vibration from the vocal folds.

Sudden movement of the vocal folds and excess tension around the vocal folds can lead to stuttering at the start of a word or phrase. Using easy onsets, you can learn to first initiate an outbreath and then turn the vocal folds on gradually – rather than trying to do both of these things at once.

“h” is a voiceless sound and adding this to the start of the word means that the vocal folds do not go straight from a closed position to suddenly vibrating when the vowel is produced. So, the word “after” would be produced more like “hhhhhafter” when using an easy onset.

Easy onsets are similar to another technique called soft contacts, although soft contacts are used to help produce consonant sounds.

Learning easy onsets


You can start to learn easy onsets by working through the exercises below:
Learning easy onsets with vowel sounds
  1. Start by breathing out with a quiet sigh. This will produce a quiet “hhhhh” sound. It should not be a harsh sound and the voice should not yet be turned on.
  2. Slowly turn on the voice to produce a vowel sound - “hhhhheee”. The voice should turn on very gradually. The “h” sound before the vowel should be stretched out at this stage.
  3. Try producing a range of vowels with easy onsets - e.g. ay, ah, ee, ow, oo. 


Picture
Learning easy onsets with single words
​

Apply the technique above to some single words that start with vowels.
​
For example:

​Anna (which would become “hhhhhanna”)
After
Also
Always
Enough
Easy
Email
Either
Exit
Expert
Inside
Inspect
Include
Island
Oven
Open
Offer
Outdoor
Under
Uncle
Update
Unless

Tired of Stuttering? 

We can help. Learn more about our proven therapy and how we guarantee you will be happier with how you speak - or your money back.
Learn More

Are you a therapist?
Or a person who stutters who wants to learn more about easy onsets?

We have developed a set of easy onset worksheets. Our goal is to provide you with the resources you need to learn this useful speech technique.  
Picture
Includes 7 PDF worksheets covering:  
  • Introduction to easy onsets
  • Why easy onsets can help with stuttering
  • Lots of easy onset practice activities 
BUY NOW FOR $0.99 WITH PAYPAL
Picture
You will receive an instant automated email with a link to worksheets following payment.

Learning easy onsets with phrases
Practice using the same technique with some the phrases below.

​Excuse me… (which would become “hhhhheeexcuse me”)
Of course.
After you.
It’s been a brilliant day.
Is it raining?
Enough is enough!
I’ll see you later.
Are you hungry?
Is this a good time?
Open the door, please.
Uncle Patrick is here.
Are you busy?
I’ll have a pizza, please.
Think of your own phrases that start with a vowel – particularly those that you use often and that you think you might stutter on.
​
Record yourself saying these phrases using easy onsets and listen back to check that you are using the technique.

Picture
Reducing the length on the easy onset
Experiment with the volume and length of the “h” sound before the vowel. With practice you will find that it can be made both quiet and less prolonged – so, the exaggerated easy onset that you were using at first becomes less noticeable.
​
Continue recording yourself trying this technique to find the right level of easy onset for you.


References
​
Max, L. & Caruso, A. J. (1997). Contemporary techniques for establishing fluency in the treatment of adults who stutter. ​Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders, 24, 45-52

More Free Guides


Learn To Use Fluency Techniques In Real Life 

Thinking About Stuttering Therapy? Here Are Our Top 5 Things To Know 


Picture
Stuttering Therapy Online provides both free resources and one-to-one online therapy for stuttering. We care about helping you find the right support.
Paid Online Therapy
Modifying Phonation Intervals 2 Programme (MPI-2)
Free Resources
Prolonged Speech            Continuous Phonation
Easy Onsets         Soft Contacts
How to Manage Speech Blocks
Why Do I Stutter More in Some Situations?
Stuttering and Job Interviews
Get in Touch
Contact Us

support@stutteringtherapyonline.com
​Testimonials
About Me
Privacy Policy
Picture