Fluency Disorder/ Stuttering

A fluency disorder is an interruption in the flow of speaking characterized by atypical rate, rhythm, and disfluencies (e.g., repetitions of sounds, syllables, words, and phrases; sound prolongations; and blocks), which may also be accompanied by excessive tension, speaking avoidance, struggle behaviors, and secondary mannerisms (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 1993). People with fluency disorders also frequently experience psychological, emotional, social, and functional impacts as a result of their communication disorder.

Stuttering, the most common fluency disorder, is an interruption in the flow of speaking characterized by specific types of disfluencies, including

repetitions of sounds, syllables, and monosyllabic words (e.g., “Look at the b-b-baby,” “Let’s go out-out-out”);
prolongations of consonants when it isn’t for emphasis (e.g., “Ssssssssometimes we stay home”); and
blocks (i.e., inaudible or silent fixation or inability to initiate sounds).

These disfluencies can affect the rate and rhythm of speech and may be accompanied by

negative reactions to speaking;
avoidance behaviors (i.e., avoidance of sounds, words, people, or situations that involve speaking);
escape behaviors, such as secondary mannerisms (e.g., eye blinking and head nodding or other movements of the extremities, body, or face); and
physical tension.

It's not easy to tell if your child stutters. Stuttering is more than disfluencies, so it is important to see an SLP for testing. The SLP will look at the following things:

The types of disfluencies (typical and stutter-like).
The number of disfluencies that are the stuttering type.
How your child reacts when they stutter – do they get upset?
How your child tries to "fix" their speech – do they start over or stop talking?

The SLP will ask if your child’s stuttering affects the way they play with others, or if stuttering makes it harder for them to participate in school. The SLP will use all of this information to decide if your child stutters or not.

The SLP will also test your child's speech and language. This includes how your child says sounds and words, how well they understand what others say, and how well they use words to talk about their thoughts.

Treatment For Stuttering

There are different ways to help with stuttering. A treatment team usually includes you, your child, other family members, and your child's teacher. Treatment will depend one or more of the following:

How much your child stutters
How your child reacts when stuttering
How stuttering impacts your child's everyday life
How others react to your child when they stutter
Your child's age

Treatment For Preschool Children Who Stutter

For preschool children, treatment may include the use of direct or indirect strategies.

Direct strategies help your child change how they speak.
Indirect strategies are ways to help make it easier for your child to talk. These strategies can include slowing down your own speech and asking fewer questions.

You are an important part of your child's treatment. The SLP can help you learn more about how to respond when your child stutters and what to do to improve how your child feels about talking.

Learn more

Fluency Disorder/ Stuttering

Treatment For Stuttering

Treatment For Preschool Children Who Stutter

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