Speech Info 101 - Fluency

"Stuttering" is also referred to as a "Fluency Disorder."

A Person who stutters has "Disfluencies" or Disfluent Speech."

You are not alone. We all stutter at some point. The Stuttering Foundation of America estimates that over 1% of the United States population stutters, which is 3 million plus people!

A person is considered to stutter when they demonstrate part-word repetitions (I w-w-w-want water), one syllable word repetitions (Can go-go-go away.), prolonging a sound (It is sssssssunny today.) and blocks or stops (I want a (pause) cookie.). A person who stutters may also exhibit what are called secondary behaviors that involve body movements such as, head nodding, arm or leg movements, tapping, excessive blinking, facial grimace and tension in the body.

A speech-language pathologist (SLP) along with the client will determine the need for speech therapy based on the average duration of the stutter, person’s effort/tension/struggle when speaking, frequency of and type of stutter, and the ability of the person who stutters to communicate effectively. However, and this is the most important factor, will be the attitude or comfortableness of the person who stutters. If a person who stutters is fine with their speech, then you should be too. Other factors include the impact on work, school, social interactions, and level of frustration by the person who stutters. In young children and adolescents, stuttering can be a risk factor for bullying.

There are all types of stutters but not all stutters are created equally. Typical stutters happen to all of us which include interjections, repeating whole words, repeating phrases, and revisions.

A Repetition can be a single sound or syllable that is repeated multiple times.

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