Fluency in speech and language is the ability to effectively communicate at an appropriate rate, and to speak smoothly, without disruption. Fluency is typically classified into stuttering and cluttering. Stuttering is a speech disorder in which the speaker has frequent disruptions in speech that impact how a message is relayed to others. Cluttering is when speech has an irregular rhythm, and is often times observed as fast, rapid bursts of speech.
When monitoring fluency, SLP's look at how sounds, syllables, words, and phrases are joined together, and if there are any noticeable disruptions (see below for specific examples). You may notice that children with fluency disorders show other behaviors as well, such as: physical tension when speaking, changes in facial expressions, or anger/frustration when communicating.
A few examples of fluency disruptions:
Sound/word repetition- I wa-wa-want to go outside, or I want want want to go outside
Prolongation - I sssssssssaw a dog
Blocks/Stops - I want a (pause) cookie.
Frequent use of filler words, such as "um" or "uh"
It should be noted that ALL of us experience disfluencies in our speech. It is when the disfluencies are more often, and more impactful on a child's social, emotional, and/or overall wellness, along with education, that an SLP will be asked to aid in a plan of action to help.