Abstract
Recent research has demonstrated that simplified habit reversal (SHR) is effective in decreasing three, co-occurring speech disfluencies (filled pauses, inappropriate use of the word “like”, and tongue-clicking) for college students within public speaking scenarios. Past research evaluating the collateral effects of SHR on other, untargeted disfluencies and nervous habits has also produced mixed results. The current study aimed to decrease idiosyncratic disfluencies and distracting non-vocal speaker behaviors via traditional face-to-face SHR with one college student and via telehealth with two additional students while also measuring covariation between targeted and untargeted speaker behaviors. We identified at least one idiosyncratic disfluency for each participant and an excessive non-vocal target for one participant. SHR was generally effective in decreasing all targets. We also observed unique covariation patterns for certain disfluencies, which calls into question whether all excessive speaker behaviors share the same function. Potential clinical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.